On December 3, 2025, the German Federal Constitutional Court decided that civil courts had improperly restricted Spiegel magazine's press freedom regarding its reporting on a former Wirecard manager suspected of involvement in massive financial fraud. The case concerned allegations that the manager was linked to Wirecard's criminal system, which embezzled hundreds of millions of euros. Previous civil court rulings had sided with the manager and barred Spiegel's reports, but the constitutional court emphasized the public's strong interest in such investigative journalism, especially related to complex economic crimes. It ruled that stringent evidentiary requirements for suspicion-based reporting should not be overly burdensome. The Munich Higher Regional Court will have to reconsider the case with better respect for press freedom principles.

On December 3, 2025, the German Federal Constitutional Court decided that civil courts had improperly restricted Spiegel magazine's press freedom regarding its reporting on a former Wirecard manager suspected of involvement in massive financial fraud. The case concerned allegations that the manager was linked to Wirecard's criminal system, which embezzled hundreds of millions of euros. Previous civil court rulings had sided with the manager and barred Spiegel's reports, but the constitutional court emphasized the public's strong interest in such investigative journalism, especially related to complex economic crimes. It ruled that stringent evidentiary requirements for suspicion-based reporting should not be overly burdensome. The Munich Higher Regional Court will have to reconsider the case with better respect for press freedom principles.