The Cologne public prosecutor’s office has brought charges against Tengelmann boss Christian Haub.
The incident is related to the disappearance of his brother Karl-Erivan Haub in the Swiss Alps. A spokesman for the Cologne Regional Court confirmed that the German Press Agency had received the indictment dated April 13, without mentioning the name of the accused. The ‘Manager Magazin’ had previously reported.
Christian Haub is accused of having made a false statement in lieu of oath in the 2021 disappearance proceedings involving his brother – the former Tengelmann boss Karl-Erivan Haub.
After the disappearance of his brother Karl-Erivan Haub, Christian Haub took over sole management of the billion-dollar retail group, which includes, among other things, the textile discounter Kik and the hardware store chain Obi.
What the lawyer says
Mark Binz, Christian Haub’s lawyer, confirmed receipt of the indictment. He expects the district court not to allow it.
According to ‘Manager Magazin’, the allegations against Christian Haub involve images from surveillance cameras that are said to show his brother after his alleged skiing accident in Moscow. “The accusation of the prosecution is limited to the fact that Christian Haub did not mention a photo in which he himself had not recognized his brother weeks before, for which there is no metadata,” said Binz. According to an official report, the probability of a match with the missing person’s face is only 50 percent. The photo is therefore worthless, says Binz.
Lawyer files a complaint
According to the lawyer, his client “lacks any motive to conceal anything, especially since he gave the insurance of his own free will, i.e. without being asked.” According to his own information, Binz filed a supervisory complaint against the lead investigator, Senior Public Prosecutor Tim Engel, in March. “Because of one-sided investigations,” as they say.
A spokeswoman for Tengelmann said: “This is a private matter for Mr. Haub, so we are not commenting on the company’s side.”
The public prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation against Christian Haub in 2024 due to initial suspicion. The criminal complaint stated, among other things, that the accused – contrary to his statements – had reliable evidence that his brother could still be alive.
Karl-Erivan Haub declared dead in 2021
Karl-Erivan Haub, one of the richest Germans, went on a ski tour alone in Zermatt in April 2018 and did not return. The family assumes that the then 58-year-old had a fatal accident on the Klein Matterhorn. In 2021 he was declared dead by the Cologne district court. Since then, media reports have been circulating again and again with doubts about the death of the experienced skier. The court did not consider it provable.
In the ongoing interim proceedings, the court is now examining whether there is sufficient suspicion and whether the charges will be admitted to the main hearing. Only then can the main proceedings be opened. The court spokesman did not give a time frame for the decision.
