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German-American billionaire Karl-Erivan Haub was assumed to be dead after mysteriously disappearing while on a skiing trip to Switzerland in 2018 but has been found alive and frisky in Moscow along with his Russian mistress, Veronika Ermilova.

Despite extensive search efforts over six days following the disappearance, Haub was never found and was declared dead three years later.

An investigation by the German broadcaster RTL found that Haub had allegedly called Ermilove 13 times before vanishing in 2018. The phone conversations were deemed significantly long, one stretching over an hour, prompting suspicions that the retail tycoon may have faked his own death.

The investigation revealed that Veronika, aged 44, operated a discrete event agency in St. Petersburg, arranging skiing, hiking, and climbing adventures for nature lovers. However, she also falls under suspicion of potential ties to Russia’s FSB security service.

An investigation has now been launched against Haub’s brother, Christian Haub, who currently heads the Tengelmann Group. It has been alleged that Christian Haub provided false testimony under oath. This probe was prompted by a criminal complaint filed against Christian, accusing him of ‘misinforming’ the court.

The complaint raises a possibility that Christian possesses credible information regarding Haub’s whereabouts and survival.

Reacting to the speculation, Ermilova clarified her relationship with Haub, saying that they had a business relationship with Haub and had not been in contact with him since the reported incident.

“I only had a working relationship with him. I don’t live with a German billionaire in Moscow, this is fake. There is no billionaire in my circle, I am married, and I have a child. The company owned by this person, they were our clients. We learned in 2018 that he disappeared in the mountains and someone in Germany is trying to say that he was found in Moscow. This has not been confirmed at all. He was officially declared dead in Germany,”

CCTV footage of the tycoon on the night before his disappearance looks suspiciously like someone on a ‘quest’ rather than a billionaire going skiing.

RTL journalist Liv von Boetticher speculated that Haub’s ‘disappearance’ in Switzerland may have been the result of shady business dealings.

The exact method used to conduct his alleged escape is unknown, but we hope snowmobiles, night-vision goggles and a jetpack were involved – just like in the movies.

[source:economictimes&deccanherald]