Law office, tour operator probed for Wirecard

GOVERNMENT agents are investigating a law office and tour operator for alleged links to German payment company Wirecard AG, whose collapse had been blamed on mismanagement, according to the Justice department.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Anti-Money Laundering Council have been looking at the financial transactions of the law office and tour operator, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra told reporters in a Viber group message on Sunday.

He said state agents have submitted three reports on Wirecard, whose missing 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) was supposedly placed in two Philippine banks. The Philippine central bank had said the money had not entered the country’s financial system.

“We hope to finish the investigation before the year ends,” Mr. Guevarra said.

The Justice department earlier suspended three Immigration officers for tampering with the travel records of Jan Marsalek, a dismissed board member and former chief operating officer at Wirecard.

Two of the three officers had been assigned at Mactan-Cebu international Airport, while the other was at the main office in Manila.

It was reported earlier that Mr. Marsalek arrived in Cebu in June and left for China the next day based on Immigration records.

But Mr. Guevarra in July said Mr. Marsalek did not arrive in the country based on CCTV footage, airline manifests and other records. He also did not leave the Philippines for China. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas