Despite a global pandemic unraveling in 2020, the executives of Europe’s largest fintech company Wirecard, found themselves in precarious positions. The Company’s CEO Markus Braun was arrested for masterminding an intricate embezzlement scandal, a key executive was reported dead in the Philippines, and the COO became a wanted fugitive. Hear how the “Enron of Germany” went from being a national pride to a national shame on Episode 25 of The Great Fail.

Episode Sources:

Wirecard files for insolvency amid German accounting scandal

Wirecard: A Scandal

Wikipedia: Wirecard scandal

Timeline: the Rise and Fall of Wirecard

The rise and fall of Wirecard

Wirecard: the timeline | Free to read

Markus Braun : Storyteller Behind Wirecard’s Rise and Fall

Wirecard: Scandal-hit firm files for insolvency

Wirecard committed ‘elaborate and sophisticated fraud’ say auditors

THE LESSONS FROM THE IMPLOSION OF WIRECARD AG

‘The Enron of Germany’: Wirecard scandal casts a shadow on corporate governance

Wirecard’s case is another extreme example of corporate fraud

WIRECARD SCANDAL PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON EY; TWO OBVIOUS FRAUDS

In a German Tech Giant’s Fall, Charges of Lies, Spies and Missing Billions

Philippines Confirms Death of Ex-Wirecard Executive Bauer

Wirecard business partner reported dead in Philippines

Whistleblower warned EY of Wirecard fraud four years before collapse

The Man Who Could Explain the $2 Billion Wirecard Mystery Is Missing

Special Guests:

Dr. Marc Liebscher, LL.M. 

Attorney Dr. Marc Liebscher, LL.M. (Washington, DC) specializes in banking and capital markets law, as well as bankruptcy and corporate law. He advises national and international clients in these legal areas and has extensive experience in the judicial enforcement of claims in legal proceedings.

On December 15, 2020 Dr. Liebscher, representing a large number of Wirecard investors, filed a criminal complaint against Wirecard’s auditors Ernst & Young (EY), accusing EY of missing the alleged fraud.