Thomas Schaefer , the finance minister of Germany ’ s Hesse state, has committed suicide apparently after becoming “ deeply worried” over how to cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus , state premier Volker Bouffier said Sunday .
Schaefer, 54 , was found dead near a railway track on Saturday . The Wiesbaden prosecution’ s office said they believe he died by suicide .
“ We are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad,” Bouffier said in a recorded statement .
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.
A visibly shaken 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 .
“ Today we have to assume that he was deeply worried, ” said Bouffier , a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel .
“ It ’s precisely during this difficult time that we would have needed someone like him ,” he added .
Popular and well -respected , Schaefer had long been touted as a possible successor to Bouffier .
Like Bouffier , Schaefer belonged to Merkel ’s centre- right CDU party.
He leaves behind a wife and two children .
AFP
