Good morning dear readers,
Narcissistic infatuation, progressive loss of reality, an abyss that one would not have thought possible in this country: Just 24 hours ago, these terms would have been exclusively reserved for today’s start of the criminal proceedings surrounding the balance sheet scandal at Wirecard. But now the Wirecard saga has serious competition when it comes to madness.
We are of course talking about the right-wing conspirators around the alleged ringleader Henry XIII. Prince Reuss, who were arrested in a nationwide raid yesterday morning. They are said to have planned a violent overthrow of the federal government and have already started hoarding weapons.
Among others, one of the parties involved: a former member of the Bundestag for the AfD, who worked as a judge until yesterday and was probably supposed to give the conspirators access to the Reichstag building. Also former officers of the Bundeswehr and a tenor singer who the conspirators had allegedly intended to appoint as cultural commissioner.
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This is where the involuntary comedy begins at the latest – it ends with the 71-year-old prince, who should have governed Germany if he was successful and who looks in the photos of his arrest as if he had just come from a men’s outfitter.
“Crazy, but dangerous,” comments Jörg Schmitt aptly in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
The processes at Wirecard cannot be summarized so briefly. The public prosecutor’s office investigated for almost 20 months, and the indictment ran to 474 pages. The allegations are gang fraud, breach of trust, accounting falsification and manipulation of the Wirecard share price.
Shortly before today’s trial begins, there is a surprising twist: the Munich I District Court has appointed two forensic psychiatrists as experts. They are supposed to appraise Stephan von Erffa. Wirecard’s former chief accountant is one of the three accused. If it turns out that von Erffa was mentally impaired during the alleged time of the crime, this could rule out or mitigate possible guilt.
The criminal trial against three former Wirecard managers begins in Munich on Thursday.
And a conviction of the accused former CEO Markus Braun is by no means certain, comments Handelsblatt investigative boss Sönke Iwersen. The evidence is thin: the charges against Braun are based primarily on the statements of the third accused Oliver Bellenhaus, former governor of the group in Dubai.
After the colleagues from the London “Financial Times” got the ball rolling with their research, the Handelsblatt continued to use its own research to investigate the Wirecard case. As head of copy, I edited many of the insider reports that emerged and was always fascinated by the simultaneity of the highly criminal and the deeply banal at Wirecard.
We have summarized the most important Handelsblatt revelations on the subject of Wirecard for you to read.
Yesterday China announced drastic easing of the previously strict corona policy. In the case of mild infections, many citizens are now allowed to isolate themselves at home instead of having to move to a central quarantine camp. Local officials are no longer allowed to designate entire residential complexes as high-risk areas.
There have been numerous reports in the Chinese media in recent days comparing the omicron variant to a cold. This corresponds to a departure from previous campaigns in which the corona virus was repeatedly portrayed as very dangerous.
Obvious interpretation: The population should be prepared for life with the virus. The easing is seen as a reaction to the nationwide protests in several Chinese cities at the end of November – but also to the lockdown-damaged economy.
Today, China’s party leader can relax from the injustice at home during his state visit to Saudi Arabia, where he probably won’t encounter any demonstrators and won’t have to fear any questions about human rights and similar western pleasures. Xi Jinping received a reception with all the honors of the Saudi state.
This is a clear contrast to the “modest reception that US President Joe Biden received in July,” according to a commentary by the Arabic medium “Al Jazeera”. Solid basis for harmony: China is by far the most important customer for Saudi oil exports.
The intention behind the visit is clear: China wants to benefit from the fact that relations between the US and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated significantly recently. In October, the US President accused Riyadh of indirectly allying with Russia by cutting oil production.
Constitutional crisis in Peru – President Pedro Castillo has been arrested in the capital Lima. Parliament had previously voted to remove Castillo from office. Vice President Dina Boluarte took over the official business.
Shortly before the vote, Castillo had announced the dissolution of parliament and new elections. However, MPs held the vote and voted to remove Castillo. Deputy Minister Boluarte and the opposition condemned the dissolution of parliament as a coup d’état. The General Staff and the national police also said Castillo’s actions were unconstitutional.
Finally, I owe you an update on a story from yesterday’s morning briefing: Contrary to what was reported there, the San Francisco police will not use any killer robots for the time being. At a second meeting, the responsible supervisory body withdrew a permit granted just a few days ago after civil rights groups had criticized the city.
The majority of the oversight body now voted against using robots to kill dangerous suspects such as gunman and suicide bombers. A final decision should be made next week.
I wish you a day when you see robots only as friends and helpers.
Best regards
Her
Christian Rickens
Editor-in-Chief Handelsblatt
