Nexum affair: Traces lead to Benko and Marsalek

A report by the magazine Merkur links a stock market transaction involving the company Nexum with the names René Benko and Jan Marsalek.

The report was distributed via the Google News channel for Jan Marsalek and Wirecard and is part of a series of reports that have for years investigated connections between Austrian businesspeople and Marsalek.

Background

Jan Marsalek was a member of the board of German payment service provider Wirecard until 2020, which collapsed after the discovery of a multi-billion euro accounting fraud.

Marsalek fled after the scandal became public and has been considered to be in hiding since. According to media reports, including from research networks such as OCCRP and several German and Austrian newspapers, he is said to be in Russia and to be in contact with intelligence circles there. Verified, court-admissible evidence of his exact whereabouts is not publicly available.

René Benko, in turn, is the founder of the Signa Group, whose real estate and retail empire was placed under insolvency administration in 2023. The bankruptcy is considered one of the largest in recent Austrian economic history and has since occupied several public prosecutors' offices in Austria, Germany, and Italy.

New Facts

According to the Merkur report, a transaction involving the removal of acting persons at the company Nexum from a stock exchange or trading venue is said to have prompted a search for possible connections to Benko and Marsalek.

Concrete details on ownership structures, timing, or involved authorities are not mentioned in the present brief report. So far, the only publicly known fact is that Marsalek's name appears repeatedly in connection with corporate structures that are being investigated by authorities in several European countries.

Reactions

Neither representatives of Benko nor those from Marsalek's circle have issued any publicly known statements regarding the specific Nexum matter. Austrian authorities have also provided no confirmed response to the report so far.

For Austria, the matter remains relevant because both the Signa insolvency and the Wirecard proceedings affect several domestic banks, investors, and law firms that were involved in financing or advisory mandates. Should a substantiated connection to Nexum be confirmed, this could trigger further investigations by Austrian or German public prosecutors, with possible implications for ongoing creditor proceedings in the Signa case.

Source: „(„Jan Marsalek“ OR Wirecard)“ – Google News | Original Article