“Lies for life, even after Wirecard”

In the Wirecard trial about what is believed to be the largest case of fraud in Germany since 1945, the waves are rising. On Thursday, the defense of the former CEO Markus Braun, who comes from Vienna, attacked the prosecutor’s key witness as “professional liar”.

“The story of Mr. Braun as a gang leader is a courtesy statement without any reference to reality”said Braun’s lawyer Alfred Dierlamm in the courtroom of the Munich-Stadelheim prison, where the trial has been held since December 8th. “Lies for life, even after Wirecard”, said Dierlamm in the direction of the key witness Oliver Bellenhaus. Until the collapse of the German payment processor in June 2020, he was the deputy of Wirecard in Dubai. Braun’s lawyers applied for a ban on the use of Bellenhaus’ testimony.

Bellenhaus is the only one of the three accused who admits the allegations made by the Munich public prosecutor. The third accused is Stephan von Erffa, the group’s former head of accounts. In the course of the trial so far, Bellenhaus has made serious accusations against both Braun and von Erffa. “An absurd story of lies that has nothing to do with reality”said Dierlamm and added: “I stopped believing in oversights and coincidences in this process.” He threw one at Dierlamm “dirty trade” with the Munich public prosecutor’s office. According to the indictment, Braun and his accomplices acted as a gang of fraudsters who cheated banks and lenders out of more than three billion euros with the help of invented sales and profits.

Braun himself is expected to comment on the indictment for the first time on Monday. The Viennese announced that he would speak for two to three hours: “I want to explain the Wirecard business model.”