Virus despair : German minister kills self

Berlin

A German provincial Finance minister, who was reportedly worried about the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, has been found dead, having allegedly committed suicide, reports said yesterday.

The mutilated body of Thomas Schafer, the Finance Minister of Hesse, where the country’s financial centre Frankfurt is, was found on a high-speed train line in the town of Hochheim, police said, local media reported.

Police said that it seemed to be a suicide case and investigations were on. The body was found by some passers-by, who informed paramedics, but they were unable to identify the remains due to the extensive injuries.

Schafer, 54, left a note about the reasons for killing himself, a German daily said, citing sources close to the investigation. According to local media in Hesse, Schafer regularly appeared in public in recent days, for example, to inform the public about financial assistance during the coronavirus crisis.

Schäfer had been widely expected to succeed state premier, Volker Bouffier, if he decided not to stand for re-election in 2023. In a statement, Bouffier said that the state’s leadership has received the news with “sadness and disbelief.”

Bouffier also said that Schäfer had been living under considerable worry and stress because of the current COVID-19 pandemic. “His main concern was whether he could manage to fulfil the huge expectations of the population, especially in terms of financial aid,” Bouffier said on Sunday.

“For him, there was clearly no way out. He was disappointed and so he had to leave us. That has shocked us, has shocked me.” “Our sincere condolences go to his closest relatives,” he added.