Guilty verdicts in London Russian spy ring around ex-Wirecard board member Marsalek convicted
Former Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek is alleged to have led a Russian spy ring consisting of several Bulgarians in the UK. Three defendants have now been found guilty.
07.03.2025, 23:36
07.03.2025, 23:53
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- Members of a spy ring working for Russia have been sentenced in London.
- Ex-Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek is said to have acted as an intermediary between the group, which consisted of Bulgarian citizens, and the Russian secret service.
- Marsalek is a fugitive and is wanted under an international arrest warrant.
In a spectacular case of espionage for Russia, two women and a man from Bulgaria have been found guilty in London. They allegedly acted on behalf of ex-Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek, as reported by the PA news agency. They face prison sentences of up to 14 years. The sentence is yet to be announced.
"This was industrial-style espionage for Russia," said Dominic Murphy, head of counter-terrorism at the London police force. Evidence had been found to the extent that one would expect to find in a spy novel. Romantic love triangles within the espionage group were also discussed in court.
One of the defendants was to be used as a so-called honey trap for a well-known journalist critical of Russia, and video and audio recording devices were found in everyday objects in the spy ring's hideout.
Secret text messages
The head of the ring and his deputy admitted to spying for Russia last November. Both are also from Bulgaria and their sentences have not yet been determined. There are also alleged to have been kidnapping plans.
Marsalek is said to have acted as an intermediary between the Russian secret service and the leader of the group in the UK. The ex-Wirecard sales director has been in hiding since the bankruptcy of the former Dax group and is believed to be in Russia.
Marsalek himself was not charged in the London trial. A number of text messages were quoted that are said to have originated from the Austrian. It was an extremely sophisticated intelligence operation that posed a threat to national security and to individuals, Murphy said.
Threat to national security averted
If the group had not been arrested, human lives could ultimately have been at stake, as was the case with the 2018 Novichok attack in Salisbury. Back then, the defected Russian agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.
The defendants, aged 33, 30 and 39, are alleged to have spied on people and places or planned to do so. In Germany, this included an air force base and an unspecified embassy. The spies were arrested in February 2023.
The espionage activities allegedly took place in London as well as in Stuttgart, Vienna, Valencia and the Balkan state of Montenegro. According to the public prosecutor's office, the defendants received considerable sums of money in return. According to Sky News, 495 SIM cards, 221 telephones, 258 hard disks and 11 drones were found during the raid on the hideout.
