German newspapers are reporting that missing Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek is being sheltered by Russian secret service agents in the military-controlled GRU.
Marsalek, who has been missing since his dismissal from Wirecard in the wake of the discovery of a €1.9 billion black hole in the payment processor's accounts, is implicated in a number of fraudulent overseas deals.
Shortly after his removal from the firm last month, Marsalek was reported to have passed through the Philippines before boarding a flight to China on June 24. However, the lead was based on bogus immigration records, forged on Marsalek's behalf and entered in the Philippine airline auhtority's immigration database.
According to reports from Handelsblatt and Der Spiegel, Marsalek is actually under the watch of the GRU in a property in the west of Moscow having instead boarded a flight to Belarus.
The information fits with previous reports that that Marsalek touted secret documents about the use of a Russian chemical weapon in the UK, as he bragged of ties to intelligence services to ingratiate himself with London traders.
Marsalek is also said to have sent large amounts of bitcoin to Russia from Dubai.
The former head of Wirecard's Dubai unit was arrested earlier this month in Germany on suspicion of fraud and denied bail.