A third defendant in Germany's sprawling fraud trial involving disgraced payments group Wirecard plans to testify for the first time.
The defendant identified only as E, the former chief accountant of the group, is to break his year and a half-long silence on July 17, presiding judge Markus Födisch of the Munich court said on Wednesday.
In mid-2020, the former DAX-listed group collapsed because €1.9 billion ($2 billion) in alleged revenues could not be found. The trial began in December 2022.
E confirmed his personal details at the start of the trial, but otherwise has not given any statements.
The Munich Regional Court under Födisch's leadership has promised E a prison sentence of between six and eight years in return for a confession.
It is not yet clear whether the former chief accountant will admit or deny the charges in his statement.
"Our client has decided to contribute to the clarification of the facts," said defence lawyer Sabine Stetter. E will describe "his view of things" and is prepared to answer questions from the court and the other parties involved in the proceedings, she added.
At the heart of the criminal charges is the allegation that E, ex-chief executive Markus Braun and ex-manager Oliver Bellenhaus invented supposed transactions and fabricated phony sales worth billions of euros in order to keep the firm afloat and trick lenders into giving further loans.
In its indictment, the Munich public prosecutor's office puts the financial damages at some €3 billion.
So far, the trial has been testimony against testimony: Braun, who has been in custody for four years as the main defendant, denies all accusations. Bellenhaus, on the other hand, has admitted to the majority of the charges.