The claim described an earlier position that has since changed.
After a BaFin criminal complaint, Munich prosecutors were investigating two Financial Times journalists over suspected securities law violations linked to their Wirecard reporting.
- About
- Wirecard AG
- Claim made by
- Associated Press, press report
- Published
- 3 September 2020
- Evidence score
- 71 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
AP reported that BaFin filed a criminal complaint against several people, including the two journalists, and that Munich prosecutors opened a probeS5. That described the position in 2019. On 3 September 2020 AP reported that prosecutors had closed the investigation into the journalistsS5. They found no evidence of contacts with short sellers or of passing on insider information, and BaFin did not object to the closure. The claim of a live investigation describes an earlier position that has changed. The probe into possible short sellers was reported as continuing at that date. Its later outcome was not checked.
Current procedural position
Investigation into the two journalists closed by Munich prosecutors, reported 3 September 2020S5.
Record supporting the assessment
closed an investigation into two journalists with the Financial Times
several people, including the two journalists
Conflicting or limiting record
No record located that conflicts with this assessment.
Evidence score: 71 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Wirecard AG. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 18 | 30 | A wire report of a prosecutor decision, not the prosecutor's own notice. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 18 | 20 | The report states the closure directly. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 6 | 15 | Only one report on the closure was read for this review. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 13 | 15 | A closed investigation is a settled state for the journalists. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 8 | 10 | No later reopening was found, but the search on this point was limited. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 8 | 10 | The wire story is public. |
| Total | 71 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- Investigation following a BaFin complaint against several peopleStaatsanwaltschaft München I (Munich public prosecutor). Criminal. Not published.Stage: Closed as to the two journalists
- Probe into two FT journalists closed, as reported by APS5.
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Outdated.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S5Tier C German prosecutors drop probe of journalists over WirecardAssociated Press (published by 1010 WINS). Press report. 3 September 2020.Reports the BaFin complaint and the closure of the probe into two FT journalists. It is a wire account, not the prosecutor's notice.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about Wirecard AG
- Supported68A Financial Times report of 30 January 2019, as relayed by Bloomberg News, said an executive overseeing Wirecard's Asia-Pacific accounting allegedly ordered potentially fraudulent transactions.Press report, 30 January 20195 records citedAccounting
- Contradicted84Wirecard said on 22 April 2020 that the KPMG special review had found no evidence for the public allegations of balance sheet manipulation.Company statement, 22 April 20204 records citedAccounting
- Unresolved58Munich prosecutors accuse the former Wirecard chief executive of fraud that caused about EUR 3 billion in damage, charges he denies.Press report, 8 October 20262 records citedFraud