Frankfurt (AFP)

German justice carried out searches on the country and in Austria Wednesday, targeting former leaders of the German company of online payments Wirecard, in the middle of a financial scandal.

Five buildings, including three in Munich, including the headquarters of Wirecard in Aschheim, and two others in Austria, were visited "as part of the investigation against (former) leaders of Wirecard," said the Munich prosecutor's office in a statement.

Investigators have in their sights Michael Braun, the former Austrian CEO of Wirecard, who resigned after the outbreak of the scandal, when a hole of 2 billion euros was revealed in the balance sheet of the financial provider.

Mr. Braun is suspected of price manipulation, for having issued press releases in March and April giving a favorable image of his business, then suspected of fraud.

Also charged, his former right-hand man and director of operations, Jan Marsalek, also Austrian, has refused to give himself up to justice and is on the run, probably in Asia.

A dismantling is also looming for the German company which filed for bankruptcy last week, "many investors" eyeing "some of its activities", according to a court administrator.

These investors come "from all over the world," he added in a statement released Tuesday night.

The American subsidiary Wirecard North America already announced Tuesday that it is looking for an external buyer.

Investors have expressed interest in elements of the "core business" or in subsidiaries of the company of 6,000 employees who filed for bankruptcy last week after acknowledging that part of its accounts were fictitious. An unprecedented financial scandal in Germany.

A committee bringing together Wirecard's creditors gave the green light to an international apartment sale process on Tuesday evening, with the support of investment banks.

Wirecard has indicated that it is continuing its activities, but its fate is in the hands of customers and partners.

One of them, insurance giant Allianz, said on Wednesday that it was terminating its "Pay & Protect" payment application due to the scandal at Wirecard, with which the application was developed.

On the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the title Wirecard fell at 10:50 GMT from 25% to 4.30 euros, in a Dax down 0.95%.

© 2020 AFP