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Marsalek’s missing millions: the unravelling of a secret Libyan empire

Fabio de Masi (C, Die Linke) and Florian Toncar (FDP) of the Bundestag commission investigating the Wirecard scandal prepare to depart a press conference as a police wanted poster of former Wirecard chief operating officer Jan Marsalek is seen on a folder on March 10, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. Wirecard, a German digital payments processor that was very active in Asia, declared bankruptcy last year following revelations of deceptive accounting to the tune of EUR 2 billion. Former Wirecard chief operating officer Jan Marsalek is a fugitive also being investigated for possible ties to Russian intelligence services.
Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The Financial Times

12 min read
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FT investigation sheds light on Wirecard fraudster’s activities in north Africa and shadow life as a Russian agent of influence.

11 December, 2025 by Sam Jones in Vienna and Paul Murphy in London

From a townhouse in London’s Mayfair, a secret deal was sealed last year to sell three Libyan cement factories.

Hidden behind layers of offshore shell companies and non-disclosure agreements, the strategic assets passed into the hands of a

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