The suspicions that the former Wirecard board member Marsalek fled to Belarus seem to be confirmed: The "Handelsblatt" reports that the Russian military intelligence agency brought Marsalek from there to Moscow.
The ex-Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek is in Russia, according to information from the "Handelsblatt". The manager was on a property west of Moscow under the supervision of the Russian military secret service GRU, the newspaper reported, citing entrepreneurs, judges and diplomats. Previously, Marsalek had made significant sums in the form of bitcoins from Dubai to Russia.
According to the investigative platform Bellingcat, Marsalek flew from Klagenfurt via Tallin to Minsk in Belarus on the day of his release from Wirecard in mid-June, the "Handelsblatt" continued. Because of the political conflict between Russia and Belarus, the GRU was probably too risky to leave Marsalek in the neighboring country. That is why he was brought on to Russia.
The "Spiegel" had already reported on Saturday that Marsalek had entered Belarus shortly after his release. This results from the Russian entry and exit register. A return trip has not yet been recorded there, which indicates that Marsalek is still in Belarus or Russia. According to "Spiegel", the findings fuel the thesis that Marsalek had cooperated with Russian secret services or worked for them. So far it had been assumed that the manager was in the Philippines.
Already entered Russia 60 times
The "Handelsblatt" quotes the Bellingcat team that Marsalek has been to Russia over 60 times in the past ten years. "His immigration file is 597 pages long. That is far more than any foreigner we have encountered in the five years of such investigations." He used six different passports.
Wirecard granted a balance hole of EUR 1.9 billion in mid-June and shortly afterwards filed for bankruptcy. Marsalek was responsible for the Asian business of the Dax group, which is at the center of the scandal. He's been in hiding for weeks. As a result of the discoveries, a debate has flared up in Germany about the omissions of authorities and auditors, from whom the falsifications of the balance sheet have long been hidden.
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