Home » Business » Ex- “Financial Times” boss – “Authorities want to believe in Wirecard’s success” – Economy

Ex- “Financial Times” boss – “Authorities want to believe in Wirecard’s success” – Economy

Lionel Barber (65) was editor-in-chief of the British Financial Times (FT) until January 2020.

Under his leadership, the newspaper exposed the Wirecard bosses’ fraud and continued to report despite strong opposition from German authorities.

► On Thursday, Barber spoke to BILD Live about …

… the success of his newspaper

“This is not a moment of malicious joy because it is an incredible scandal. In January 2019, the FT reported for the first time about fraud incidents in Wirecard’s Asian business. But the answer from the German regulatory authorities was to ban short sales. ”

And further: “When Wirecard complained to the authorities, we were investigated. Yes, I am delighted and relieved. But I’m also angry at how our journalists and our journalistic integrity were attacked. ”

Foto: Drew Angerer/Getty Images-“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/lionel-barber-im-juli-letzten-jahres-201463026-71535052/Bild/1.bild.jpg “/>

Lionel Barber last JulyFoto: Drew Angerer/Getty Images


… the BaFin failure

“Like many German investors, the regulatory authorities also wanted to believe in Wirecard’s success story. That was Germany’s tech success – the rival of Silicon Valley companies. But you have to look at the facts. I believe that regulators have not carefully considered what we reported. ”

And further: “If they had done so, they would have known about the shortcomings at Wirecard that went all the way up.”

… Ex-Wirecard boss Markus Braun

“He never called me, he never spoke to me. Instead, Markus Braun preferred to work with threats and intimidation. That is why we have always been extremely suspicious. “

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