Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Wirecard executive fled by private jet to Belarus as firm collapsed

Wirecard executive fled by private jet to Belarus as firm collapsed

Jan Marsalek, Wirecard’s ex-COO who is on Interpol’s most-wanted list, fled in June shortly before Wirecard filed for insolvency.

A former senior executive at Wirecard AG escaped from Austria to Belarus on a private aircraft last year with the help of a secret-service agent and a far-right politician, according to an arrest warrant seen by Bloomberg.

Jan Marsalek, the German payments company’s ex-chief operating officer who is on Interpol’s most-wanted list, fled in June shortly before Wirecard filed for insolvency.

Executives admitted that €1.9 billion (US$2.3 billion) in funds never existed, setting off one of Germany’s biggest accounting scandals.

The company’s implosion is the subject of a parliamentary investigation in Berlin, in which officials ranging from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief economic adviser to Deutsche Bank AG chief executive Christian Sewing have been called to testify.

Austrian police on Friday detained a senior official from the BVT domestic intelligence service – currently on a long-term leave of absence – for two days before releasing him, according to Nina Bussek, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors’ office in Vienna.

A former member of parliament for the far-right Freedom Party was also taken into custody in connection with the escape and remains there due to a separate matter, said Christina Salzborn, a Vienna court spokeswoman. The two men cannot be named for legal reasons.

Both have long-standing personal and business relationships with Marsalek, emails and photos reviewed by Bloomberg News show. The BVT official’s name was on the door of a room in a Munich villa visited by Bloomberg that was used by Marsalek to conduct business related to Wirecard and personal matters.



Marsalek, 40, was the right-hand man of Wirecard CEO Markus Braun, who is in jail in Germany. Marsalek’s current whereabouts are unknown – media speculation ranges from a compound outside Moscow to a secret hideaway in Turkey and a tropical island.

An Austrian citizen, he is seen as a key player in a fraud scandal that has burned many investors, exposed holes in financial oversight and raised the prospect of bias by authorities.

Austrian prosecutors suspect that the two men organised Marsalek’s escape with the help of two pilots, according to the arrest warrant.

A third person, also from the BVT, has been detained in connection with the Wirecard case and is being investigated for abuse of office, according to the prosecutors’ office in Vienna. The person isn’t suspected of aiding Marsalek’s flight.

The warrant, a redacted version of which has been published online, confirms an investigation by Bellingcat that had placed Marsalek in Belarus, as well as reporting by Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

The BVT – which stands for Federal Office for Protecting the Constitution and Fighting Terrorism – became the centre of a power struggle inside Austria’s security apparatus during the years in which the Freedom Party governed in coalition with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

In early 2018, when the party was in charge of the Interior Ministry, an unprecedented police raid took place at the BVT. It was carried out following accusations of malpractice and corruption by a whistle-blower close to the Freedom Party, according to the findings of a parliamentary committee. Most of the accusations were later found by the courts to be without substance.

One of the two men detained in connection with Wirecard is suspected of being the whistle-blower behind the accusations that led to the raid, according to a person familiar with that case as well as multiple media reports. The man denied the allegation in testimony to the parliamentary committee in 2018.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×