The manager went into hiding about three years ago.
(Photo: dpa)
Munich In the criminal proceedings surrounding the billion-euro bankruptcy of the payment processor Wirecard, a letter from the ex-board member Jan Marsalek caused a dispute. While the defenders of the accused former boss Markus Braun demanded that the previously unpublished letter to the criminal court be read out in the hearing of the Munich Regional Court on Wednesday, the presiding judge Markus Födisch rejected this for the time being.
He sees little opportunity to introduce the letter into the court hearing, said Födisch without further justification. He will decide about that at a later date.
Braun’s lawyers, Alfred Dierlamm and Nico Werning, protested that Marsalek’s letter contained essential information about Braun’s exoneration. “Do you want to hide the letter in the drawer?” Dierlamm called. This culminated in heated arguments lasting minutes between the lawyers, the judge and public prosecutor Inga Lemmers, whereupon Födisch interrupted the session and left the room with the other judges.
Braun’s lawyers later
A few minutes later, Födisch resumed the hearing and said he would give Braun’s attorneys the floor later that day for a motion to take evidence. First, as planned, the former product director Susanne Steidl should be questioned as a witness.
Fugitive Wirecard board member Marsalek dares to take cover
Marsalek went into hiding three years ago when Wirecard collapsed and is wanted internationally. He was considered the leading mind at Wirecard and was responsible for the Asian business there. Wirecard collapsed in June 2020 when it was revealed that trust accounts in Asia were missing 1.9 billion euros.
Dispute over third-party business in
The public prosecutor accuses Braun and two other defendants of accounting fraud and large-scale fraud. According to this, the managers are said to have invented billions in proceeds from so-called third-party partners in order to fine-tune the group. The public prosecutor’s office relies on information from the accused ex-manager Oliver Bellenhaus, who is considered a key witness. Braun and his attorneys, on the other hand, have stated that the money existed and was stashed away behind Braun’s back.
A few weeks ago, Marsalek’s lawyer wrote to the court on behalf of his client, several people familiar with the letter told the Reuters news agency. Marsalek explained in it that the third-party business existed and that Bellenhaus was not telling the truth on several points.
Wirtschaftswoche first reported on the letter. No comment was initially available from Marsalek’s defense attorney. The court and the public prosecutor only confirmed the existence of the letter.
More: Ex-Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek comments on his lawyer