Billionaire, 64, who disappeared during hike ‘living with his mistress in Moscow’
A German-American billionaire thought dead after disappearing during a hike in the Alps is suspected to be living with a Russian mistress in Moscow, it’s been claimed.
Karl-Erivan Haub, 58 at the time, was training for a ski mountaineering race at the Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland when he went missing in April 2018.
He was last seen heading up a ski lift alone one morning and never returned to his hotel.
Authorities including teams of alpine rescuers and five helicopters searched for six days, but his body was never found.
In 2021 he was declared legally dead by a German court, leaving behind his wife, two children, and his company, retail giant Tengelmann Group which had more than 75,000 employees.
His younger brother Christian swore in court that there was no indication Karl-Erivan, whose net worth was estimated at £5.2billion, remained alive.
But now a major investigation led by German broadcaster RTL claims to have found Karl-Erivan in Moscow – and believes he’s living there with a mistress named Veronika Ermilova.
Christian is now subject to an investigation by the Cologne prosecutor’s office on suspicion of making false statements under oath, RTL reported.
Christian assumed control of the Tengelmann Group after his brother’s disappearance, and claimed to have commissioned a security service to investigate the ‘rumours’ he was still alive.
His lawyer, Mark Binz, told German newspaper Die Zeit: ‘Of course there is nothing to the accusation.’
Retail mogul Karl-Erivan, who would now be aged 64, is alleged to have called Veronika’s phone 13 times in the three days before he vanished in 2018, according to the probe by RTL and media outlet Stern.
The calls were substantial – one lasting more than an hour – leading to suspicions he was plotting to fake his death.
The investigation found that Veronika, 44, ran an ‘inconspicuous’ event agency in St. Petersburg, which organised skiing, hiking and climbing excursions for outdoor enthusiasts – but she is also suspected of being involved with Russia’s FSB security service.
An investigation by Tengelmann later revealed that Karl-Erivan’s life was closely intertwined with Veronika’s.
Investigators suggested she ‘may work for the Russian domestic secret service FSB’, although stressed this ‘cannot be proven’.
‘What can be proven, however, is that she is always in the same places at the same time as Karl-Erivan Haub,’ said the report.
‘In July 2008, both were in Moscow and Sochi within a few days… In May 2009, both travelled on the same night train from Moscow to St Petersburg, in separate compartments. The trips were booked at the same time and by the same person.
‘Strange too: [Veronika] came to Moscow the day before just to take the train back home.
‘Further overlaps of short trips by Karl-Erivan and [Veronika] can be found for stays in Omsk (2010), Sochi (2011), Baku (2014) and Moscow (2015, 2017).’
The report states: ‘It is not clear why these alleged meetings took place. It doesn’t sound like a love vacation.’
RTL journalist Liv von Boetticher speculated that Karl-Erivan’s disappearance in Switzerland may have come as the result of shady business dealings.
‘Karl-Erivan Haub is known to have done business with questionable people in the Russian economy,’ she claimed.
‘Our assumption is that business with Russia or with Russian business partners could have got Karl-Erivan in trouble in the West.’
The exact method used by Karl-Erivan to conduct his alleged escape is not known.
Some believe he skied through the Alps and descended into Italy, but there is no trace of his whereabouts after he set out on his solo ski mission.
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