On 10 November 2026, proceedings began at Berlin Regional Court in the criminal case against the former director of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb), Patricia Schlesinger. The Berlin Public Prosecutor General’s Office had already brought charges against Schlesinger and three other defendants in December 2025; the Regional Court admitted the charges in September 2026. According to the court and several media reports, the main allegation is breach of trust in several instances involving the broadcaster’s funds.
The prosecution alleges in particular that the defendant granted variable pay components and allowances without adequate approval from the Administrative Board, and breached her duties of financial responsibility and economy. According to media reports, the Berlin Public Prosecutor General’s Office cites numerous individual cases in which payments and accounts are disputed; the exact number of individual offences charged is set out in varying detail in the court and press releases published so far. Schlesinger’s defence has announced in statements to date that it will reject all the allegations in full.
The opening of the trial on 10 November marks the shift from years of internal, civil and criminal disputes over the rbb’s senior management to public criminal proceedings. According to reports by news agencies and specialist media, alongside the criminal trial, civil claims and earlier decisions concerning pension payments have either already been legally resolved or remain pending; for example, civil proceedings addressed questions about the former director’s entitlement to a pension.
The Regional Court announced that numerous further hearing dates are planned; according to media reports, more than 50 dates have already been scheduled through the end of June 2027. The case has far-reaching implications for the public broadcaster’s courts and oversight work: in recent years, it has fuelled debate about control structures, transparency and governance at public service broadcasters, and led to organisational reforms at rbb.
The facts and attributions in this report are based on press coverage, statements from the Regional Court, the admission of the charges by Berlin Regional Court in September 2026 and the bringing of charges by the Berlin Public Prosecutor General’s Office in December 2025. No predictions are made here about the outcome of the trial; statements by the defence and prosecution are identified as such.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).