Overview
- Scharrenbach, appearing in a special Landtag session on Friday, rejected claims she wanted staff to fail and conceded she is sometimes too direct and too sparing with praise.
- A letter made public by WDR from IT.NRW president Oliver Heidinger alleged she said she wanted him to fail so she could remove him, a claim she flatly denied.
- The SPD demanded an external special investigator and said she should temporarily step aside, while the FDP backed an outside probe and the CDU accused the opposition of staging a political spectacle.
- To counter claims of mass dismissals, she cited personnel data showing 261 departures over nine years, including 94 retirements, with 111 classed as true transfers or resignations.
- Scrutiny now extends to oversight as critics ask why Minister-President Hendrik Wüst’s office did not intervene sooner despite complaints dating to January 2025, even as Scharrenbach plans a staff meeting, a leadership retreat, and an anonymous channel for complaints.