Trial in London
British investigators: Ex-Wirecard board member Marsalek is said to belong to a Russian espionage network
Jan Marsalek, who was born in Austria, is said to have worked for the Russian secret service
© AFP
Wirecard’s former manager, Jan Marsalek, allegedly went into hiding in Russia after the scandal surrounding the financial services provider was uncovered. British investigators now suspect him of being part of a Russian espionage network.
Will the Wirecard scandal soon appear in a different light? Former Wirecard manager and fugitive from justice Jan Marsalek is suspected by British investigators of being part of a spy network for Russia. This emerges from a statement from the British public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday. The news magazine “Der Spiegel” had previously reported on the allegations.
Accordingly, Marsalek is said to have played a central role as a mediator between Moscow and a group of Bulgarians who have to stand trial in London as suspected Russian spies. An initial hearing was due to take place on Tuesday at Westminster Crown Court in London.
Jan Marsalek has been in hiding for three years
Marsalek was formerly head of sales at the financial services provider Wirecard, has been in hiding for a long time and is believed to be in Russia. He is considered the main suspect in the Wirecard scandal.
Marsalek was responsible for business with so-called third-party partner companies – external payment service providers that processed or are said to have processed credit card payments on Wirecard’s behalf, primarily in Asia.
In the summer of 2020, the former DAX group collapsed because 1.9 billion euros of alleged proceeds from this third-party business could not be found. Marsalek then fled abroad when the collapse of the company became apparent.