Three years ago, Jan Marsalek, one of the main suspects in the Wirecard scandal, went into hiding. Now he has reported for the first time through his defense attorney – at the Munich judiciary. A letter from the lawyer was received at the regional court and at the Munich I public prosecutor’s office, said spokesmen for the two authorities. Apparently in the past few days, like that Southgerman newspaper experienced. The spokesman did not name the content or details of the statement. “We do not want to comment on this outside of the main hearing,” said the public prosecutor.
A major fraud case has been going on in Munich for eight months, including against former CEO Markus Braun. The fact that Marsalek is now apparently breaking his silence comes as a surprise. He fled abroad in the summer of 2020 when the collapse of the former Dax group became apparent. He is said to have fled to Russia, at least until the spring he lived under a new identity in Moscow, according to SZ information. Loud business week In the letter, his lawyer does not specifically address the allegations of fraud against the former Wirecard board member.
The financial service provider collapsed within a few weeks between June and July 2020 because 1.9 billion euros in proceeds allegedly booked in Southeast Asian trust accounts could not be found. As the group’s former head of sales, Marsalek is a key figure. Billions of dollars in damage arose for Wirecard shareholders.
In the Munich Wirecard trial, the defenders of ex-CEO Braun accused the absent Marsalek of plundering the group without Braun’s knowledge or involvement and of embezzling two billion euros in business proceeds together with accomplices. The letter provides at least an indication that Marsalek is following the process from afar. Because it is addressed to the fourth criminal division, which is conducting the proceedings against Braun and his two co-defendants, as the public prosecutor lets know.
Loud business week Marsalek’s lawyer should comment in the letter on the existence of the so-called third-party business at Wirecard. According to the indictment, a criminal gang in the top management of the company with Braun’s involvement invented bogus deals in Asia to deceive banks and investors. Braun contradicts: The business was by no means invented, rather the proceeds of Marsalek and his accomplices were stowed away. The letter from Marsalek’s lawyer apparently says that this third-party business – contrary to what the public prosecutor’s office claims – did exist. That would possibly relieve Braun.
It is striking that the letter is now appearing in this phase of the process, said an SZ investigator. He doesn’t believe in coincidence. While ex-head of sales Marsalek fled abroad, his boss soon turned himself in to investigators and has been in custody in Munich ever since.
The supposed proceeds from the third-party business were decisive for Wirecard rising from insignificance up to the Dax. And in the end they led to the collapse of the corporation. The trial against Braun and the two co-defendants will continue this Wednesday.