Bodyguard as a witness: Braun’s driver in the Wirecard trial: I was ruined

The bodyguard of former Wirecard boss Markus Brauns says he was ruined by his trust in the Austrian manager. The 58-year-old reported as a witness in the Munich Wirecard trial that he lost 170,000 euros due to the bankruptcy of the DAX group. On the day of the bankruptcy filing in June 2020, he protected Braun at Wirecard headquarters from angry employees who wanted to break into the board office. It was only afterwards that he realized: “You’re broke.”

Eight years in Braun’s service

The Hesse-born bodyguard was employed as Braun’s bodyguard and driver from 2012 to 2020. Braun has now been in custody for four years and has been in court along with two other former Wirecard managers since December 2022. The prosecution accuses Braun of having formed a gang of fraudsters together with his accomplices, and the public prosecutor’s office has quantified the damage to the lending banks to a good three billion euros. The manager denies all allegations. Braun, on the other hand, is seriously accused by his co-defendant Oliver Bellenhaus, who appears as a key witness and who has largely admitted the accusations.

“Someone who really lives the Wirecard topic”

The CEO worked for the company with heart and soul: “There is someone who really lives and breathes the Wirecard issue.” Until the bankruptcy filing, Braun didn’t even give him a hint that Wirecard was in trouble. “Mr. Braun came to the car in the morning and said with a friendly smile: We’re doing well this evening.” Braun was therefore fundamentally careful to ensure that no outsider found out any details: “He didn’t let anything out in that sense.”