F. A. Z. exclusive: gaps in the money laundering supervision in the case of Wirecard

Despite numerous warning signs were there when, from the insolvency threatened with payment service provider Wirecard to the last regulatory gaps in the fight against money laundering. For the parent company, Wirecard AG is not a German Supervisory authority, the authority according to research by the F. A. Z. in terms of money laundering, apparently responsible – and this despite the fact that the in the share index, the Dax, led Wirecard group, has estimated in his annual report for the year 2018, the volume of global completed customer transactions with approximately 125 billion euros.

Marcus Theurer

editor in the economy of the Frankfurt General Sunday newspaper.

F. A. Z.

But on the subject of money laundering, the Federal financial Supervisory authority (Bafin) refers to the district government of lower Bavaria: These have had to decide whether the Wirecard AG with headquarters in Aschheim near Munich, is subject to the rules of the money laundering act (Amla) or not. This authority would, where appropriate, the competent Supervisory authority, said a Bafin spokesman.

Bafin chief in the Bundestag

The district government, in turn, declared at the request of the F. A. Z., had been laundering compliance in the money-rules by Wirecard does not control: “the jurisdiction of the district government is not,” said a authorities spokeswoman. “Wirecard AG is not Committed to the money laundering act in the area of responsibility of the district government.” The Bafin is meanwhile, according to its own data for Monitoring the Anti-money laundering measures in the subsidiary Wirecard Bank, which is, however, comparatively small.

the group’s parent company, Wirecard AG in your home country is not lost, apparently, the money laundering supervision are also surprising, because it’s washable for years of money-allegations against Wirecard has given. In December 2015, there was even a RAID at Wirecard AG by the Munich public Prosecutor’s office.

The former office searches had been carried out in the framework of a legal aid to the American Ministry of justice, informed the competent chief public Prosecutor of Anne Leiding now the F. A., for example. For further information on this procedure were not possible, because the American side on confidentiality poche.