Haub, 58 at the time of his disappearance, embarked on a solo ski tour in the Alps on April 7, 2018, and was never seen again. Despite a six-day search, no trace of the businessman was found, leading to his declaration of death by a German court in 2021, as reported by the Seattle Times.
However, the narrative took a dramatic turn when the state prosecutor's office in Cologne launched an investigation into allegations that Christian Haub, Karl-Erivan's brother, provided false information regarding his brother's potential survival, as detailed by the Daily Beast.
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The probe was initiated following a criminal complaint by journalists from the broadcaster RTL, who were investigating Haub's mysterious disappearance. Liv von Boetticher, an investigative reporter with RTL, disclosed to Capital magazine that she had come across photos allegedly depicting Haub in Moscow in 2021, the same year he was legally declared dead.
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"From what I understand, these photos were procured on behalf of Christian Haub and two internal investigators working for him by an Israeli-American company that searched Moscow's biometric surveillance system for images of Karl-Erivan Haub," she elaborated.
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A report from Stern magazine in March 2023 suggested a 90% resemblance between Haub and the individual in the photos. Boetticher asserted that Christian Haub had access to these photos when he testified under oath to the Cologne District Court in May 2021, claiming he had 'no reliable evidence' of his brother's survival.
Boetticher further argued that there is "compelling evidence that [Karl-Erivan Haub] may have orchestrated his disappearance intentionally and that at least some members of his family, against their better judgment, concealed this from the Cologne District Court and the public."
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Born to German parents in Tacoma, Washington, and educated in Switzerland, Haub was married with two adult children at the time of his disappearance. However, the latest evidence suggests he may be involved with a younger woman in Russia, Boetticher revealed to Capital.
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"There was a supposed lover of Karl-Erivan Haub, with whom he frequently communicated before his disappearance and who is in contact with the Russian domestic secret service FSB," she stated.
Haub's disappearance occurred just a month after the death of his father, Erivan Haub, whose net worth was estimated at $6.4 billion by Forbes at the time of his death. Boetticher suggested that Karl-Erivan Haub's disappearance could be linked to the family's business affairs.
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"We suspect that dealings with Russia or Russian business partners may have put Karl-Erivan in a precarious position in the Western world," she proposed to Capital.
Following his older brother's disappearance, Christian Haub assumed the role of sole CEO of the Tengelmann Group. His lawyer, Mark Binz, categorically denied the journalists' allegations in a statement to Zeit Online.
"There is absolutely no truth to the accusation," Binz retorted. "Up until a few weeks ago, the Cologne public prosecutor's office shared this view and consequently declined to initiate an investigation."
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