<p>BERLIN — One of Germany’s best-known TV directors and scriptwriters has been formally charged with raping an aspiring actress almost 25 years ago, Munich prosecutors said Friday.</p>
<p>Dieter Wedel was the first prominent figure in the country named when the #MeToo movement targeting alleged sexual abusers in the media and the arts gathered pace in Germany three years ago.</p>
<p>Wedel, 81, has denied claims by several women that he pressured them for sex.</p>
<p>The 20-page indictment against Wedel claims that in 1996 an actress visited him in a Munich hotel to read scenes for a part she was hoping to play. Wearing only a bathrobe, Wedel allegedly forced her onto the bed and raped her.</p>
<p>Prosecutors cited more than 20 witnesses and experts, as well as diary entries, in their indictment.</p>
<p>German news agency dpa quoted Wedel’s lawyer Doerthe Korn criticizing the publicity surrounding the case and the fact that the allegations against her client were first made in a newspaper article, which wrongly suggested the statute of limitations had already expired.</p>
