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The product placement scandal that has plagued German pubcaster ARD all summer has degenerated into a mudslinging match between former colleagues just as ARD seeks to repair its tarnished image with new measures to prevent illicit ads in the future.

Thilo Kleine, former topper of ARD-owned production company Bavaria Film, lost his job in July after press reports uncovered illicit ads in series produced by Bavaria for ARD.

Last week, Kleine rocked the pubcaster with new allegations that the practice was authorized by none other than ARD programming chief Gunter Struve.

Kleine says it was Struve who requested additional financing from product placements for ARD movies and who also pushed for illicit ads in the Bavaria-produced sudser "Marienhof."

Struve responded to Kleine's allegations with legal threats and accuses Kleine of disseminating "half-truths and falsehoods."

Despite ARD's tighter measures -- including stricter contracts for producers, an oversight board and revamped journalistic guidelines -- the scandal and its repercussions seem unlikely to go away any time soon.