“Effective immediately”

ORF Manager Pius Strobl Has Been Relieved of His Duties

Pius Strobl could soon lose his job...(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

ORF Director General Ingrid Thurnher has suspended Pius Strobl. This likely means the next top manager will have to step down—for compliance reasons. The broadcaster says it has received “numerous reports” of “possible misconduct.”

Strobl has always been a polarizing figure. The co-founder of the Green Party, who served on the ORF Foundation Board until 2006 and then moved to Küniglberg as a manager, fueled the current debate over public broadcasting as a top earner with a claim to a supplementary pension worth millions.

Most recently, a “Krone” exposé also caused a stir—a construction firm that received contracts worth millions from ORF was also working on the renovation of Strobl’s private home. Most recently, Strobl’s name also came up in the case surrounding the resignation of Director General Roland Weißmann.

Furthermore—as the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to the “Krone” as recently as the end of May—a case report regarding Strobl had been sent to the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor. The suspicion: pension commitments had been “concealed” internally and were not made in the ORF’s best interest.

“In recent weeks, the ORF Compliance Office has received numerous tips and reports regarding possible misconduct by Pius Strobl,” the ORF now states in a recent statement. General Director Ingrid Thurnher has therefore suspended Strobl from duty effective immediately.

“No Prejudgment”
“The measure was taken to ensure an unbiased and uninfluenced investigation by the ORF Compliance Office and does not constitute a prejudgment,” the broadcaster emphasizes.

ORF Enterprise Managing Director Already Suspended at Easter
Before Strobl, Oliver Böhm, Managing Director of ORF Enterprise, had already been suspended over Easter. That case also involved alleged compliance violations.