Wirecard's CEO breaks his silence

Former Wirecard boss Markus Braun has spoken at last. The cat had caught the tongue of the ex-CEO allegedly at the centre of the worst financial scam in post-war German history.

Braun, 54, refused to speak in public until he gave his testimony this week at the trial in which he and two other Wirecard bosses are standing trial on charges of creating a criminal organisation, market manipulation and fraud.

According to court reports, Braun not only claimed ignorance of any wrongdoing, he even claimed that he had been a victim. 

“I want to be very clear that I deny all charges,” he said at the beginning of his testimony. “I had no knowledge of any forgery or embezzlement. I also did not build a criminal gang with anyone." 

The collapse of the company was “a real shock,” he told the court. "On June 18th (the day the company filed for insolvency), the world came to an end. And I may say, that was also my world."

The Munich-based firm famously imploded in the summer of 2020 after auditors found t…