'Dead' German-US Billionaire Alive In Moscow? Suspected To Be Living With Mistress: Reports

A German-US billionaire — Karl-Erivan Haub — who was thought to be dead after his hike in the Alps in Switzerland, is suspected to be living in Moscow with his mistress, reports claimed.

The 58-year-old billionaire was training for a ski mountaineering race when he went missing in April 2018 in Zermatt, Metro reported.

A six-day-long search operation, including five helicopters, was launched to find the billionaire but, his body was never found.

A German court declared Haub legally dead in 2021, leaving his wife, two children and his company behind. Haub owned Tengelmann Group — a retail giant — which had over 75,000 employees.

Haub’s brother — Christian — had also swore in court that there was no indication of Haub being alive. Haub’s net worth was estimated at 5.2 billion pounds.

DEAD BILLIONAIRE ALIVE?

German broadcaster RTL’s investigation has claimed to have found Haub alive in Moscow. The report believes that he is living with his Russian mistress, namely Veronika Ermilova.

Haub allegedly called Ermilova 13 times in the three days leading up to his vanishing in 2018, RTL probe revealed. One of the calls reportedly lasted for more than an hour, which built suspicions that Haub was planning to fake his own death.

Meanwhile, Christian — who took over the Tengelmann Group after his brother’s disappearance — is now set to be investigated on suspicion of giving false statements under oath.

The 44-year-old Ermilova, ran an “insconpicuous” event agency in St. Petersburg for outdoor enthusiasts, organising skiing, hiking and climbing excursions. Reportedly, her involvement with Russia’s FSB security service is also being suspected.

Metro reported that Tengelmann’s investigation had found that Haub and Ermilova’s lives were closely connected. “What can be proven, however, is that she is always in the same places at the same time as Karl-Erivan Haub,” the report said.

Haub and Ermilova were in Moscow in July 2008 and then in May 2009, they travelled on the same night train to St Petersburg.

“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 was quoted by Metro.

RTL’s investigation speculated that Haub’s vanishing in Switzerland might have been a result of his suspicious business dealings.

The exact method used by Haub to concoct his alleged escape is unknown.