Has the billionaire who disappeared in 2018 been seen in Moscow? "Who was Veronica E?"

Conducted in harsh weather conditions, the search was intense to say the least. The German press described it as one of the largest mountain rescue operations ever carried out in Switzerland, with its cost estimated at around half a million Swiss francs. About sixty rescuers participated in the operation, supported by six helicopters. During the week, an area of 250 square kilometers, ranging from 1,650 to 4,200 meters on the Swiss and Italian sides of the mountain – where there are thousands of crevasses – was combed with a fine-toothed comb.

Police also analyzed KEH's mobile phone data and CCTV footage to see if the billionaire had appeared anywhere or logged in after his disappearance was reported. Ultimately, it was determined that his last connection to the Swiss mobile network was at 8:33 a.m., and The last photo taken by the surveillance camera on the ski lift at the Klein Matterhorn mountain station was taken at 9:06 am.

At the same time, the Federal Chancellery, the Foreign Ministry, the German Embassy in Switzerland and the US Embassy were contacted, as KEH also holds US citizenship. All to no avail. Although no traces of his disappearance or his body were found, a court in Cologne declared Karl Erivan Hoppe dead unexpectedly on May 14, 2021.which was perhaps a bit hasty in light of the results of the recent investigation broadcast by RTL+.

In any case, the court in North Rhine-Westphalia brought an abrupt end to a case that left countless questions unanswered. Questions that prompted two of the channel's investigative journalists to delve into KEH's past. Two investigators quickly discovered several clues pointing to this The missing rich man lived a double life.

Their long and meticulous investigation led them, which also became the subject of a book and appeared on the front page of the leading German magazine Stern. To Russia, where Hope made many previously unknown private and professional contacts.

The informant who gave them the photos claims that he obtained them from agents of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). The photos are of good quality, and show a close-up, front and side view of a man wearing a thick blue winter jacket With a mask and a woolen hat on his head.

According to their correspondent, the photos, the publication of which would threaten the security of their owner, come from the biometric surveillance network in Moscow, which is the largest of its kind in the world. There are more than 200,000 people in the capital of Russia. Cameras, most of which generate images that can be analyzed by facial recognition software. Based on more than 500 points, the software measures a person's face and compares it to a reference image. According to the informant, the FSB found 90 percent. Match with the man detected by the camera.

Power, money, family…

These photos may be the latest in a long line of clues pointing to this They tell the story of a thriller in which the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FSB) are likely involved, a former Stasi liaison officer who previously worked for Vladimir Putin, and a former employee of the German Army's military counterintelligence service, was hired by the Tengelmann Group to conduct a type of counterintelligence. They are joined by a mysterious Russian friend or lover, perhaps connected to her country's secret service, a powerful investment banker with a very interesting reputation, and the Hope clan, with whom there appears to be a serious struggle for power and money.

Journalists talk a lot about the family. And for good reason: under the previous management of Erivan Karl Hoppe, the father of the deceased, Tingelmann became a European giant in the food sector, today employing 90,000 people. the people. but this is not all. The company also owns more than 70 shares in empires such as Zalando, Klarna, Uber, Westwing and Delivery Hero. After taking over the reins in 2010, everything indicated that KEH intended to attack the Russian market with its discount Plus chain.

Contacts with Russia and Geneva

For this purpose, he allegedly contacted Andrei Suzdaltsev, an oligarch who has been mentioned several times in the Offshore Leaks, which are data leaks about tax havens, due to his role at the head of RosEvroBank, which local opposition media describe as “the most criminal bank in the world.” “. Russia” or “Russian Laundering”, referring to the tens of billions of dollars he allegedly laundered in the period 2010-2014.

KEH's analysis of phone calls showed he tried to call a number in Russia and another in Geneva four times in two minutesBoth lead to Andrei Suzdaltsev a few days before his disappearance. The journalistic investigation also showed that KEH's business partners in the Plus Stores project were all shareholders of RosEvroBank. Ultimately, no stores were opened, officially due to economic sanctions imposed by Germany after Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The mysterious Veronica E.

Other phone calls with Russia aroused the curiosity of investigators. These calls led to someone with whom KEH had brief but frequent contact: a mystery woman whom the journalist duo named Veronika E. Born in 1979, she officially worked for an event management company hired by the Tengelmann Group to organize the birthday party for the mother of the Hope family, Helgi, in St. Petersburg in 2004.

On this occasion, he met KEH, who was married with children, and Veronica E. They discovered that they had the same hobbies: mountaineering, mountaineering and seal trekking.

However, many things about this woman seem strange. Starting with her annual income of PLN 11,000. euro. This is not enough to fund her lifestyle as she decides to She owned an apartment in an apartment complex, a top-notch Range Rover, and traveled extensively around Russia and the world. In the years 1999-2021. Did she work for the FSB? There is no evidence of this yet. However, it can be shown that Veronika E. often stayed at the same places and times as KEH, and many of her trips were booked by the same person.

I booked a room in Zermatt

Tengelman claims that he was not aware of KEH's visits and trips to Russia. However, according to records, The billionaire called Veronica E's number 13 times in the three days before she disappeared. More worryingly, Veronica E. had booked a hotel room in Zermatt the day before the businessman disappeared and booked a flight back to Moscow the following day.

Hope was her best “student”. He strictly adhered to the agreed arrangements, and the trainer also claims that she could not imagine that her “student” would completely deviate from his program plan and embark on a dangerous journey.

Moreover, according to investigative journalists, Karl-Erivan Hoppe was seen as a safety freak, not a daredevil. A man who liked to push boundaries, but he was cautious and often surrounded by many bodyguards. Another important fact is that KEH arrived in Zermatt at the last minute, i.e. the day before the disappearance. Only the night before, at around 1am, he had informed the captain of his private jet that he wanted to go to a resort in Upper Wales.

All these elements make up the puzzle: Why did KEH let millions evaporate in Russia? Why was he dealing with a bank that had a mafia reputation? What had he talked so passionately about with the bank manager the day before he disappeared? Was he forced to disappear, as the two journalists assume, because he feared serious problems due to his dangerous relationships? Questions that do not lead to any evidence, but they indicate that not everything is clear in this case.

Brother and former Stasi agent

It's a complicated story, one that reflects KEH's always unbrotherly relationship with his brother Christian, who now heads the group after being long removed from power by his father, who sent him to run the company's US subsidiaries for years. When one of these companies went bankrupt, Christian Hope said in an interview that he had to constantly consult with his older brother on all important decisions.

However, his parents forced him to take full responsibility for the bankruptcy. Returning to Germany, is it reasonable to believe that Christian Hopp was completely unaware of the issues raised by the two journalists? One thing is certain: it was he who, on behalf of the group, appointed a former Stasi officer and a former Wehrmacht agent to conduct a parallel investigation. Oddly enough, their exorbitant fee came with a condition: it would only be paid if one or more pieces of evidence were presented that KEH was – or was not – dead. According to RTL+ journalists, payment has already been made. Another confirmed fact: after a long battle with Catherine Hoppe, KEH's wife, and their children, Christian Hoppe finally regained his brother's shares in the Tengelmann group for 1 billion euros. A very attractive price in the eyes of experts.

Sigmund Shortle

“Coffee enthusiast. Troublemaker. Incurable introvert. Subtly charming twitter scholar. Award-winning social mediaholic. Internet buff.”

Has the billionaire who disappeared in 2018 been seen in Moscow? “Who was Veronica E?”

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Has the billionaire who disappeared in 2018 been seen in Moscow? “Who was Veronica E?”

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