Heir to Putin's chef?

Marsalek is now said to manage Prigozhin’s empire

A report in the "Wall Street Journal" confirms the suspicion that ex-Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek may have been one of Vladimir Putin's top spies. He is now said to have been given a new task: the reorganization of the African Wagner empire. 

At the time of his disappearance, Marsalek is said to have been working for the Kremlin for almost a decade, reports the renowned US newspaper. Born in Austria, he is said to have worked primarily for the Russian military intelligence service GRU and the foreign intelligence service SWR. 

Support from intelligence services
During his time at Wirecard, for example, he is said to have concealed financing from the Russian authorities via the company, thus enabling money to flow into conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa.

Wirecard was also able to acquire German state institutions as customers. The German Federal Intelligence Service and the Federal Criminal Police Service used the company's credit cards and bank accounts for their agents. Marsalek is said to have succeeded in diverting sensitive customer data to Moscow, even though he did not have authorization to do so. A Kremlin spokeswoman denied links between Marsalek and Russian intelligence services to the Wall Street Journal.

Marsalek in the desert
Today, Marsalek, one of the most wanted men in the world, is said to spend most of his time in the United Arab Emirates. In Dubai - with a new Russian identity, intelligence circles are apparently certain. From the desert city, the dubious businessman is said to be involved in the reorganization of the empire of ex-Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who probably fell victim to an assassination attempt a few months ago.

Marsalek, who was alleged to have had contacts with Russian secret services several times before the revelations, is considered a key figure in the Wirecard scandal. He absconded shortly before the collapse of the financial technology group three and a half years ago and is wanted on an international arrest warrant.

In July of this year, the Austrian sent the first known sign of life since his escape via a lawyer's letter. 

The loss of billions
Wirecard collapsed in June 2020 when it was discovered that 1.9 billion euros were missing from trust accounts in Asia. Marsalek was responsible for the Asian business. Former CEO Markus Braun and two other ex-managers are in the dock for accounting fraud and gang fraud. They are alleged to have fabricated transactions worth billions with so-called third-party partners.

Braun, on the other hand, has stated that the money did exist and that it had been hidden behind his back. In the letter dated July 6, lawyer Frank Eckstein explained on Marsalek's behalf that the third-party partner business had existed and had even been continued after the Wirecard insolvency.