A German billionaire who disappeared in the middle of a solo ski tour on Switzerland’s Matterhorn six years ago is believed to have been captured by facial recognition software in Moscow and is allegedly living there with a Russian woman believed to be a spy. .
German-American retail magnate Karl-Erivan Haub, then 58, was last seen climbing the mountain at a cable car station one morning in April 2018, but never returned to his hotel.
Authorities began a six-day search in which five helicopters and teams of alpine rescuers scoured the area, but his body was never found.
Haub, former CEO and co-owner of German supermarket and retail giant Tengelmann Group, was declared dead by a Cologne court three years later, leaving behind a wife, two children and a company of some 75,000 employees.
But now an investigative journalist from German broadcaster RTL claims that Haub has been identified with facial recognition cameras in Moscow, where he is believed to live with Veronika Ermilova, a Russian woman 20 years his junior, suspected of being a spy. .
Liv von Boetticher told the German magazine Capital saw the images in 2022.
“To my knowledge, these photographs were obtained… by an Israeli-American company that searched Moscow’s biometric surveillance system for images of Karl-Erivan Haub,” he said.
A research by RTL and the media outlet Stern also links Haub’s suspicious disappearance to a Russian billionaire known as the ‘Scarface Oligarch’, who sold Prince Harry and Meghan Markle his mansion in Montecito, California, in 2020.
German-American tycoon Karl-Erivan Haub, then 58, was training for a ski mountaineering race when he disappeared in April 2018.
The billionaire businessman was seen riding up the mountain in a lift alone one morning – something his coach said was strange for a man who was normally very safety-conscious and well-prepared – and never returned to his hotel.
Haub is alleged to have dialed the phone of mysterious Russian woman Veronika Ermilova, suspected of being a Russian agent, 13 times in the three days before her disappearance.
Sergey Grishin was reported to have died from a long illness in March, although evidence of his funeral has never emerged.
An investigation by RTL and the media outlet Stern also links Haub’s suspicious disappearance to a Russian billionaire known as the ‘Scarface Oligarch’, who sold Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured) his mansion in Montecito, California, in 2020.
Haub’s younger brother Christian swore in court in May 2021 that there was no indication the mountaineer, whose net worth was estimated at £5.2bn, was still alive.
Christian, who took over the Tengelmann group, is now under investigation by the Cologne prosecutor’s office on suspicion of having made false statements under oath. RTL reported.
Boettinger’s alleged images of Haub in Moscow were obtained by investigators from a firm hired by Christian before his testimony.
His lawyer, Mark Binz, told German newspaper Die Zeit: “Of course there is nothing in the indictment.”
Retail magnate Haub is alleged to have called Ermilova’s phone 13 times in the three days before her disappearance in 2018, according to RTL and the media outlet’s investigation. Stern.
The calls were significant (one of them lasted more than an hour) and raised suspicions that he was planning to fake his death with the help of Moscow and Ermilova.
An investigation found that Ermilova, 44, ran a “discreet” events agency in St. Petersburg, organizing skiing, hiking and climbing tours for outdoor enthusiasts, but she is also suspected of being involved with the Russian security service. FSB.
She is now listed on LinkedIn as the director of marketing for Russian Event, which is styled as a travel experience company.
Research by Tengelmann later revealed that Haub’s life was closely intertwined with the enigmatic Ermilova, who was believed to be about twenty years Haub’s junior and was described as “a slim, athletic woman with shoulder-length brown hair, dark and open smile”. ‘.
Investigators suggested that he “could work for the Russian internal secret service FSB,” although they stressed that this “cannot be proven.”
“What can be demonstrated is that she is always in the same place and at the same time as Karl-Erivan Haub,” the report says.
Haub called Ermilova 13 times before her disappearance, raising suspicions that she was planning to fake her death with help from Moscow.
Ermilova ran a “discreet” events agency in St. Petersburg with hobbies such as hiking, climbing and ski touring.
German-American tycoon Karl-Erivan Haub was training for a ski mountaineering race when he disappeared in April 2018 in Zermatt, Switzerland.
‘In July 2008, they were both in Moscow and Sochi within a few days… In May 2009, they both traveled 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.
‘It’s also strange: [Ermilova] I arrived in Moscow the day before just to take the train back home.
‘New short trip overlays from Haub and [Ermilova] can be found for stays in Omsk (2010), Sochi (2011), Baku (2014) and Moscow (2015, 2017).’
The report states: ‘It is unclear why these alleged meetings took place. It doesn’t seem like a love vacation.
RTL journalist Boetticher speculated that Haub’s disappearance in Switzerland and his alleged appearance in Russia could have been the result of shady dealings.
“Karl-Erivan Haub is known to have done business with questionable people in the Russian economy,” he said.
“Our assumption is that business with Russia or Russian business partners could have caused problems for Karl-Erivan in the West.”
In addition to calling Ermilova, Haub is also believed to have called Russian banker Andrey Suzdaltsev both in Russia and Geneva shortly before he died, the RTL and Stern investigation stated.
Another of Haub’s Russian business partners included the notorious self-confessed fraudster Sergey Grishin, known as the “Scarface Oligarch.”
Grishin made headlines in the UK and US after selling his $14.7 million home in Montecito, California to none other than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2020.
Haub was officially declared dead in 2021 with a net worth of £5.2 billion, even though his body was missing.
Veronika Ermilova pictured at the Pacman bar, St. Petersburg, in 2016
Haub is also believed to have called the secretive Russian tycoon Andrey Suzdaltsev shortly before he died.
Famous Russian banker Sergey Grishin is believed to have died in Moscow in March 2023
Another co-owner of RosEvroBank, the Russian oligarch, had purchased the property with a seven-acre plot, swimming pool, tennis court, guest rooms and an impressive main house, in 2009.
His nickname Scarface derives from his ownership of another Californian mansion where Al Pacino’s 1983 film of the same name was filmed.
Grishin was reported to have died from a long illness last year, although evidence of his funeral has never emerged.
RTL journalist Boetticher also speculated in an interview with Die Welt that Haub could have been working for the Russians.
“He could have acted as a kind of agent of influence for Russia in Germany… It’s not about an agent in a floppy hat and a trench coat or a James Bond, but about influence in politics and the economy.”
“(His disappearance came) at a time when Tengelmann was doing quite poorly… and was expanding into Russia with the Obi DIY chain, for example.”
The journalist said: “I am sure it was not a ski accident, but a prepared escape.”
The exact method used by Haub to carry out his alleged escape is unknown.
Some believe he skied across the Alps and descended into Italy, but there is no trace of his whereabouts after he set out on a solo ski tour in April 2018.