Markus Braun, the former chief executive of collapsed payments group Wirecard, told a Munich court on Wednesday that he feels lonely and isolated after six years of uninterrupted pretrial detention. Speaking on the 270th day of his trial, Braun said he wants to return to work once his custody ends.
Braun has been held since July 2020. Prosecutors consider him the principal architect of the Wirecard fraud, alleging damages exceeding three billion euros. Braun denies the charges, casting himself as a victim of a criminal network led by former sales director Jan Marsalek, who remains a fugitive.
Now divorced, Braun receives monthly visits from his ex-wife and eight-year-old daughter. The trial, originally expected to conclude by late 2025, has no scheduled dates for closing arguments or a verdict.