Wirecard’s former chief operating officer, Jan Marsalek, has contacted the Munich court through his lawyer, the first sign of life after the Austrian-born executive disappeared three years ago during the German payments company’s dramatic collapse.
The Munich District Court has received a letter written by Marsalek’s lawyer, a spokesperson for the foundation said Tuesday, declining to comment on details.
Marsalek was one of the key figures behind Wirecard’s spectacular rise to one of Germany’s most valuable companies before its collapse in June 2020. At the time, Wirecard admitted that €1.9 billion ($2.1 billion) it had reported probably never existed. Marsalek fled when the scandal broke and is believed to be hiding in Russia or Belarus. He is a member of Interpol wanted list The Munich trial against him and other suspects continues.
WirtschaftsWoche first reported the message. In it Marsalek rejects claims that a third-party company Wirecard did not exist, and one of the key witnesses in the ongoing fraud trial has been accused of lying multiple times, German Business Weekly reports.