From director to fugitive: Wirecard's Jan Marsalek's double life as a Russian spy
Marsalek became a pivotal figure in the massive scandal following the abrupt collapse of Wirecard, a German powerhouse in online payment processing. The company declared bankruptcy soon after it was exposed that nearly $2 billion it had claimed to possess was nowhere to be found. Marsalek supposedly flew to the Philippines under the guise of tracking down the 'missing' money, however, he landed in Minsk and eventually ended up in Moscow.
Marsalek, an Austrian citizen of Czech descent, was already a prime suspect of having connections to Russian intelligence from the start of the scandal. People in his circle claimed he alluded to these ties. By September last year, British prosecutors had implicated him as the leader of a network of five Bulgarians accused of spying for Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported that Western intelligence services eventually concluded that Marsalek had likely been operating as a Russian agent for the past decade.
While managing Wirecard - a company once regarded as the most valuable German financial institution - Marsalek is believed to have coordinated payments for Russian military intelligence services (GRU) and foreign intelligence (SWR). It is also suggested that he leaked information on Wirecard's customers, including German intelligence services and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). It's said that BKA heavily depended on Wirecard's services to arrange payments for its informants.
Marsalek openly boasted about his ties with Russian intelligence
Marsalek is also believed to have supported the Wagner Group, and is currently spending most of his time in Dubai. There, on behalf of the Russian intelligence, he is reportedly working on restructuring Prigozhin's business empire in Africa. The United Arab Emirates authorities have declined to comment on these claims.
The newspaper further revealed that Marsalek, despite being on Interpol's most wanted fugitive list, purportedly set up a business in the UK under his real name, using a Czech passport.
According to two business partners of Marsalek cited by WSJ, he brazenly bragged about his cooperation with both Russian and Western intelligence. Reportedly, he also partook in trips with Russians to Libya and Syria, including a visit to Palmyra during the time the Kremlin was planning a concert within the city's ancient ruins.
