Media: Wirecard serviced mafia-linked Maltese online casino

The issuer of Wirecard payment cards conducted financial operations for a Maltese online casino linked to the Italian mafia. The Financial Times reports.

Earlier in June, an Italian court found the gaming company CenturionBet guilty of money-laundering for the Ndrangheta mafia clan. The casino used Wirecard’s services until 2017, when Maltese authorities revoked its license.

According to the publication, CenturionBet laundered millions of euros during its operation. The amounts processed through Wirecard are not disclosed. It is only known that revenues from the partnership with the casino accounted for a small portion of the payment operator’s total profits.

Wirecard also serviced another Maltese gaming company, which Italian authorities also implicated in ties to organized crime. An investigation into it continues.

Earlier in June, a hole in Wirecard’s balance sheet of nearly €2 billion was discovered. The company subsequently began bankruptcy proceedings.

The incident drew the attention of the German public prosecutor’s office, after which former Wirecard chief executive Markus Braun was arrested.

Former Wirecard top executive Jan Marsalek, after disappearing, carried out a large transfer in bitcoins. According to the media, he may be hiding in Russia.

In late July, Wirecard investors filed suit against Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). The regulator was accused of taking measures too late.

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