Jan Marsalek
Former chief operating officer of Wirecard
- Entries
- 7
- On the record
- 2
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Sep 22, 2025
The record
Jan Marsalek, an Austrian, was chief operating officer of Wirecard and considered Markus Braun's number two. When the scale of the scandal emerged in June 2020 he was already gone; he is believed to have flown by private jet from an airport south of Vienna to Belarus, the BBC reported. He was placed on Europol's most wanted list, suspected of commercial gang fraud.
Since then his file has moved from fraud to espionage. A March 2024 joint investigation by Der Spiegel, ZDF, Der Standard and The Insider reported that he met a man with close ties to Russia's GRU military intelligence in July 2014 and apparently began a second life as a spy. Moscow has rejected allegations that he formed close ties with its security services.
Courts have since described his role in cases where he was not a defendant. In London in March 2025, three Bulgarians were convicted at the Old Bailey after three others pleaded guilty, in a spy cell the BBC said Marsalek directed from abroad. In Singapore, a court found in September 2025 that false escrow letters were issued to maintain a business relationship with him.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Reuters described Marsalek as an international fugitive on Europe's most wanted list, whereabouts unknown. Wirecard admits €1.9B likely didn't exist; Braun denies fraud
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2020-06 Reported As the Wirecard scandal emerged, Marsalek left; he is believed to have flown by private jet from an airport south of Vienna to Belarus, the BBC reported. BBC News report
- 2022-03-14 Reported When Munich prosecutors indicted Braun and two other managers, Marsalek was wanted by German prosecutors and remained at large, Al Jazeera reported. Al Jazeera report
- 2022-12-08 Reported As the Munich trial opened, the BBC reported Marsalek was on Europol's most wanted list, suspected of commercial gang fraud, and that the latest reports placed him in Russia; Moscow rejected allegations he had close ties to its security services. BBC News report
- 2024-03-05 Reported Der Spiegel, ZDF, Der Standard and The Insider reported, based on documents, phone data and travel records, that Marsalek met a man with close ties to the GRU on July 6, 2014, and apparently began working as a spy, and that he had been on the run since June 2020. Der Spiegel International investigation
- 2025-03 Ruled Three Bulgarians were convicted at the Old Bailey of spying for Russia after three others pleaded guilty. The BBC reported that the cell was directed from abroad by Marsalek and that almost 80,000 Telegram messages between its leader and Marsalek were recovered. BBC News report
- 2025-09-22 Ruled A Singapore court convicted a corporate services director and a British businessman over false escrow letters to Wirecard, finding the letters were issued to maintain a business relationship with Marsalek and fellow executive Oliver Bellenhaus. Both men indicated they would appeal. Singapore Police Force news release