Bertelsmann also has liars and thieves as board members who buy their way out of trouble

German media giant Bertelsmann (Bertie) like other media companies is no stranger to scandal. The latest for them comes via a gasbag by the name of Werner Weidenfeld , a member of the board of Bertie's foundation who was being investigated for booking private bills as company expenses. Weidenfeld who is one of the best known political scientists in Germany will excuse himself from the board come November 30th. What was he billing to the company? Who knows? Perhaps prostitution services or supplies for a Science project he was working on? We will probably never know because the bastard bought his way out of trouble leading prosecutors to close the investigation. Perhaps a deeper look would have revealed a wider involvement of other Bertie board members and senior execs. Of course in a statement Bertie made nice the situation. The Munich prosecutors' office, which had begun an inquiry after an anonymous complaint, said Monday it offered to close the investigation in exchange for a payment of €10,000, or $14,000, from Weidenfeld. Prosecutors found some documents backing the allegations, although the "potential extent of the damage" was not "significant," Anton Winkler, a spokesman for the office, said Tuesday. Weidenfeld has been a board member of the Bertelsmann Foundation since 1992. Bertelsmann and Weidenfeld decided to end their collaboration by mutual agreement, the company said. Director steps down from Bertelsmann [IHT]