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At that time still presentable: Wirecard booth 2018 at a trade fair in Cologne
Photo: WOLFGANG RATTAY / REUTERS
"Can you guarantee that Wirecard is clean?" Asked SPIEGEL in September 2018 to CEO Markus Braun.
"I can do that," he replied.
There have long been allegations of fraud about this, for example in the so-called Zatarra Report.
But it would take some time before the group collapsed.
In April 2020, DER SPIEGEL reported on a "document of horror" - the special report by the auditing company KPMG.
What this already vaguely hinted at was finally confirmed by an ad hoc announcement on June 18: Wirecard's balance sheet was based on incorrect figures, alleged balances in billions could not be found.
In the biggest economic scandal in post-war history, ever new, often adventurous details have come to light.
Wirecard temporarily planned a takeover of Deutsche Bank, had ex-politicians advertised in the Chancellery and maintained close contacts with secret services through Deputy Chief Jan Marsalek.
A review:
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