Tag: Markus Braun

A London court has delivered a seismic verdict in the ongoing saga of Wirecard, the collapsed German fintech giant: six Bulgarian nationals have been convicted and sentenced for spying on behalf of Russian intelligence, acting under the direct orders of Wirecard’s fugitive former COO, Jan Marsalek. This marks the first time a court has definitively established that Wirecard, under Marsalek’s leadership.

Munich prosecutors have streamlined their case against former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun by dropping several charges. This strategic move aims to expedite the trial, which has been ongoing since December 2022. While charges related to falsifying 2015 results and multiple counts of market manipulation have been dropped, Braun still faces serious allegations including falsifying 2016-2018 financial results and defrauding banks of €1.75 billion.

Jan Marsalek, born on March 15, 1980, in Vienna, Austria, served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Wirecard from 2010 until its collapse in 2020. An Austrian citizen, Marsalek was instrumental in expanding Wirecard's operations, particularly in Asia. However, his tenure ended in scandal when it was revealed that approximately €1.9 billion were missing from the company's accounts, leading to its insolvency.

In light of recent court findings across multiple jurisdictions, it has become increasingly clear that the ongoing trial of former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun may be fundamentally flawed. The crux of this issue lies in the apparent failure to fully incorporate the now-established activities of fugitive ex-COO Jan Marsalek into the proceedings. This not only jeopardizes the fairness of Braun's trial but also risks obscuring the true nature and extent of the Wirecard scandal.

A Munich court has found Markus Braun, the former CEO of Wirecard, along with Alexander von Knoop, former CFO, and Susanne Steidl, former chief product officer, personally liable for €140 million in damages. This decision comes after a long-running civil suit filed by Michael Jaffé, the administrator of Wirecard, over the executives’ roles in issuing unsecured loans to allegedly fraudulent business partners in Asia.

The former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun remains in custody. The trial, which is one of the largest financial fraud cases in Germany's history, also includes defendants Oliver Bellenhaus and Stephan von Erffa. The judges also justified the decision with the risk of flight and obstruction of justice. The value of the Wirecard trial remains questionable in view of the activities of the fugitive former board member Jan Marsalek, which have since been uncovered.

Since December 2022, former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun and two former executives, Oliver Bellenhaus and Stephan von Erffa, have faced charges, including falsifying the group's balance sheets. According to the German prosecutors, the so-called third-party acquirer (TPA) "did not actually exist." The former COO Jan Marsalek remains on the run. Meanwhile, former auditor EY faces massive lawsuits.

The Wirecard trials in Germany continue unperturbed despite the confusion surrounding the espionage affair involving former Management Board member Jan Marsalek. Four years after Wirecard collapsed, former chief financial officer Alexander von Knoop and former chief product officer Susanne Steidl have been charged with breach of trust. The charges are part of the ongoing investigation into one of Europe’s largest accounting scandals.

As the trial of former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun unfolds in Munich, a new twist in the Wirecard saga emerges, intertwining financial scandal with espionage intrigue. Recent revelations by Austrian law enforcement have uncovered that Jan Marsalek, the fugitive former COO of Wirecard, allegedly paid €500,000 to "Austrian spies" in September 2017. This discovery has profound implications for the ongoing trial and raises questions about the extent of Russian involvement in the Wirecard collapse.

The ongoing Wirecard trial continues to captivate with its unfolding drama and astonishing revelations. In a surprising turn, millions of euros in uncashed checks were discovered in office cabinets at Wirecard's headquarters following the company's collapse. This shocking detail emerged during the testimony of witness Tatyana Teodorovich, who painted a chaotic picture of the financial operations at Wirecard.

It had to happen. In the only reasonable twist, the Wirecard trial has seen a significant shift with the resignation of star defense lawyer Alfred Dierlamm. Reportedly, Dierlamm resigned due to financial constraints, leaving the defense of Markus Braun, the accused CEO of the collapsed Wirecard, in the hands of a new advocate, Theres Kraußlach. She has requested that the criminal file of fugitive Jan Marsalek be included.

One thing is crystal clear in the convoluted labyrinth of justice: nothing works without money. This truth has become glaringly evident in the ongoing fraud trial of former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun. Braun lost his main defense attorney due to financial constraints as the bankruptcy scandal unfolds. Attorney Alfred Dierlamm resigned from the case, citing the exhaustion of the fee budget provided by the manager liability insurance.