- Wirecard’s former COO Jan Marsalek has fled to Russia from Dubai, taking “significant sums” of Bitcoin with him
- Wirecard’s Dubai office is being treated as a criminal operation following the collapse of the company last month
- Marsalek is supposedly under Russain secret service protection in Moscow
Former Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek brought “significant sums” of Bitcoin with him to Russia when he fled Dubai following the collapse of the company, according to German newspaper Handelsblatt. The news outlet reports that Marsalek is now in Moscow under secret service protection following his escape from the Middle East, where Wirecard’s operations are being heavily scrutinized. Wirecard collapsed last month when a $1.9 billion black hole was found in their accounts, which led to the revelation of a years-long accounting fraud.
Marsalek Under Russian Secret Service Protection in Moscow
Handelsblatt reports that Marsalek is said to have flown to the Belarusian capital Minsk from Klagenfurt on a chartered plane following his release from police custody on June 18. From there Marsalek is said to have flown to Russia where he is thought to now be housed in a Moscow property under the supervision of the Russian military secret service, GRU.
Marsalek is reported to have bought “significant sums” of Bitcoin in Dubai which he now has access to in the Russian capital. Marsalek is no stranger to Russia having reportedly visited on several occasions, using six passports in the process. Marsalek himself has used Twitter to offer a defense of sorts:
POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!
— Jan Marsalek (@jmcoootr) July 13, 2020
Wirecard Collapse Led to Temporary Halt on Debit Cards
The Wirecard collapse last month temporarily hit its subsidiary companies, including Wirecard Card Solutions, the company that services many cryptocurrency debit cards. The collapse initially led to most of these crypto debit card operators having to halt their services, although operations have almost entirely resumed since.
