Announcing the death of a German billionaire, three years after his disappearance
A court in the German city of Cologne announced the death of billionaire Karl Erivan Hopp, three years after his disappearance in the Swiss Alps.
Hope, co-founder of Tengelmann Retail Group, went on a solo ski excursion on April 7, 2018, in the village of Zermatt, Switzerland and never came back.
His family believes he died in an accident near the summit of Mt. Klein Matterorn.
He was 58 years old at the time.
The court said in a statement today, Friday: "The circumstances necessary to justify the declaration of death have been proven due to the ongoing investigation."
The brothers of the German billionaire and his wife demanded a declaration of his death.
After Hope's disappearance, his brother Christian took over the executive management of the Tengelman Group.
Since then, family disputes have arisen over the division of powers in the giant group, which also includes textile retailer Kik and hardware store chain Obi.
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