U1: Donors in the twilight

Financing Peter Kölbel wanted to invest three million euros in DDP, the German news agency. The condition: He remains anonymous as financier, but where does the money come from? The question was first asked by the news magazine Focus and now also by DDP boss Lutz Schumacher. He wants to cancel the contract with Kölbel and has reported the Austrian, who is also a member of the management team at Swiss broadcaster U1 TV Station, on suspicion of money laundering. According to Focus, Kölbel is an authorized representative of the Liechtenstein trust company Mitsui Securities Eastern Europe, which did business with Slobodan Milosevic's clan despite the EU embargo. According to Facts, Mitsui also provides the loans used to finance the development of U1 TV.
The official main shareholder of U1 TV is the Viennese building tycoon Hanno Soravia. In addition to the Swiss channel, he also operates TV Berlin and TV München. Kölbel acts as program director for the broadcasting group. No comments on the affair were available. U1 managing director Thomas Sadecky is currently on vacation, as is Peter Kölbel.
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