Ex-Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek found in Moscow working for Russian intelligence, revealed by investigative journalists after over a year of tracking.

Investigative journalists from Spiegel, ZDF, Austrian Standard, PBS, and The Insider tracked fugitive ex-Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek in Moscow for over a year and revealed he is working for the Russian foreign intelligence service. His phone was detected 304 times near the FSB headquarters in Moscow between January and November 2024. Marsalek reportedly uses multiple aliases including a Russian passport under the name Alexander Michajlowitsch Nelidov and has traveled to the conflict zones in eastern Ukraine including Mariupol. The investigation highlighted failures by German authorities to actively pursue his arrest, despite the high-profile Wirecard scandal and international search. Journalists also noted the role of women close to Marsalek in revealing his whereabouts and the use of artificial intelligence to analyze social media data and metadata from Russian data brokers. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev reported personal threats and a need to leave Austria for safety.