Ex-Wirecard boss’s statement is delayed – dispute over key witnesses

Markus Brown

The former Wirecard boss will not testify in court this week.

(Photo: dpa)

Munich In the process of the bankruptcy of the financial group Wirecard worth billions, the testimony of the accused ex-boss Markus Braun was delayed. “I am assuming that we will not be going to an interrogation of Dr. Braun will come,” said the presiding judge Markus Födisch on Thursday in the hearing at the Munich Regional Court.

It had previously become clear that the interrogation of the co-defendant key witness Oliver Bellenhaus was likely to take longer than expected, partly because the defense attorneys for Braun and the co-defendant chief accountant Stephan von Erffa questioned his credibility.

Most recently, the court had scheduled five days for Braun’s testimony and questioning about the charges from next Thursday (January 19). The public prosecutor accuses the three defendants of accounting fraud, market manipulation, breach of trust and commercial gang fraud.

Braun’s and Erffa’s defense attorneys have denied the allegations. Braun and Bellenhaus have been in custody since the collapse of the Dax group around two and a half years ago.

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At the beginning of Thursday’s session, the defense attorneys for the three accused and the judge argued about further questioning of Bellenhaus. According to his defense attorney Florian Eder, he only wants to answer questions from the court, but not the defense attorney for the co-defendants.

>> Read more: “Money, power and young chicks” – This is how Wirecard’s key witness ticks

Eder relied on his client’s right to remain silent and also rejected the judge’s suggestion that the defense attorney’s questions should be asked as his own questions. While Bellenhaus, like the public prosecutor, describes the events at Wirecard as joint balance sheet manipulation on a large scale, Braun’s lawyer Alfred Dierlamm speaks of the misappropriation of existing billions behind Braun’s back.

In addition, Braun’s defense attorney Dierlamm insisted again on Thursday that the court should decide on his application to suspend the trial because of extensive new investigation files before Braun commented.

More: Wirecard key witness continues to testify – “It was a huge mess, it was all chaos”

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