A former Austrian domestic intelligence official, Egisto Ott, previously associated with the now-defunct Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT), has been apprehended on suspicion of espionage, as reported by a spokesperson for the Vienna public prosecutor’s office.

Ott’s arrest, which occurred alongside another individual, is related to accusations of abuse of office, allegedly posing a detriment to Austria.

The spokesperson refrained from disclosing specific details regarding the espionage allegations against Ott.

Media outlets from both Germany and Austria have suggested that Ott may have been involved in passing information to Jan Marsalek, a former board member of Wirecard, a German payments company that collapsed in 2020 amid allegations of fraud.

Marsalek, an Austrian national, is currently sought by German authorities, though his whereabouts remain unknown.

Reports from publications including Der Spiegel have claimed that Ott, along with another former Austrian security official, provided Marsalek with sensitive data.

However, Ott has refuted these allegations in a recent article published by the Austrian newspaper Der Standard.

The Munich court has been presiding over the trial of former Wirecard executives since December 2022.

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