Thomas Schaefer, finance minister of Germany’s Hesse state, has committed suicide after becoming “deeply worried” over how to cope with the economic crisis from the coronavirus.
The state premier Volker Bouffier made this announcement said on Sunday, March 29.
Schaefer, 54, was found dead near a railway track on Saturday and the Wiesbaden prosecution’s office said they believe he died by suicide.
Bouffier in a recorded statement said they are in shock, disbelief and are immensely sad about the news.
Hesse is home to Germany’s financial capital Frankfurt, where major lenders like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have their headquarters. The European Central Bank is also located in Frankfurt.
Bouffier recalled that Schaefer, who was Hesse’s finance chief for 10 years, had been working “day and night” to help companies and workers deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.
He added that;
Today, we have to assume that he was deeply worried. It’s precisely during this difficult time that we would have needed someone like him.
Popular and well-respected, Schaefer had long been touted as a possible successor to Bouffier.
Schaefer is survived by a wife and two children.
