Germany appeals for leads on fugitive Wirecard boss Jan Marsalek
German authorities issued on Wednesday a public appeal for leads to track down wanted fugitive Jan Marsalek, a former boss of the now-defunct Wirecard, who is accused of embezzling billions of euros.
Wirecard went bankrupt after admitting in June it had €1.9
billion ($2.2 billion) missing from its accounts — marking one of the biggest
accounting scandals in Germany's post-war history.
Three former top bosses, including the former CEO, of the
Munich-based firm have been arrested in connection to suspected fraud and
racketeering.
Charges were brought against Marsalek, a 40-year-old Austrian
national, on June 22 — but due to Germany's strict privacy laws he had not been
publicly named as a suspect. The authorities' rare move to formally disclose
his name and make a public appeal for help marks an increased push to track
down the former Wirecard chief operating officer.
In a statement, the Munich public prosecutors' office
accused Marsalek of "suspected gang-type fraud committed on a repetitive
and gainful basis, breach of trust in an especially serious case and other
property and economic offenses."
The investigation has led authorities to believe that
Marsalek is currently in hiding outside of Germany.
The appeal, issued jointly by Munich public prosecutors and
the federal police, was published in English and German.
"Jan Marsalek, ex-board member of Wirecard AG, is strongly
suspected of having committed billions in commercial gang fraud, the
particularly serious case of embezzlement and other property and economic
offenses," the wanted post reads.
"He is currently on the run."
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