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Death of Thomas Schäfer "completely unbelievable": CDU politician comments on Hesse's finance minister

2020-03-30T21:06:25.799Z


Hessian Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer (CDU) is dead. Prime Minister Volker Bouffier has commented on possible backgrounds.


Hessian Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer (CDU) is dead. Prime Minister Volker Bouffier has commented on possible backgrounds.

  • Hessian finance minister Thomas Schäfer (CDU) is dead.
  • The doctor of law was treated as a possible successor to Prime Minister Volker Bouffier ( CDU ).
  • Politicians from all parties were dismayed.

Update of March 30 : Hesse's former Prime Minister Roland Koch (CDU) articulated his dismay at the death of Thomas Schäfer (CDU) . The news of it was "completely incredible" for him, he said to the picture . For him, Schäfer was “a man who was very experienced and politically responsible, even in crises,” he continued. Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) had pointed out that Schäfer had obviously been very concerned about the Corona crisis . The 54-year-old shepherd apparently committed suicide on Saturday, the prosecutor and police said.

According to media reports, he is said to have left a farewell letter. Koch now said to Bild that in the profession of politician it can happen that one comes into great doubt . But he still "could not have imagined that this would lead to such a reaction with Thomas Schäfer."

Thomas Schäfer dead: ARD reports from farewell letter - Bouffier speaks about connection with Corona crisis

Update from 8.30 p.m .: The death of Hesse's Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer (CDU) , with whom investigators are currently assuming suicide, was also a topic in the Tagesschau (ARD) of 8 p.m. Presenter Judith Rakers was added live from the studio in Frankfurt am Main. She explained that Volker Bouffier's assessment of Schäfer's state of mind recently (see update 12.40 p.m.) apparently goes back to Schäfer's farewell letter : "He must have mentioned these concerns as a reason for his suicide."

It was surprising for people who knew him, she continued. In the past week, Schäfer and his colleagues have "literally worked day and night" to forge a billion-dollar protection shield for Hesse's economy because of the Corona crisis , and have expressed that he sees coping with this crisis as a " task of the century" .

Bouffier: shepherd "crushed" by concerns about corona consequences

Update of March 29, 2020, 12.40 p.m .: Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier commented in a video slot on the death of Thomas Schäfer : “We would have needed him in such a difficult time. The biggest challenge in our country, it requires prudence and energy. Dr. stood for both Thomas Schäfer, ”said Bouffier. Schäfer worked day and night to deal with the crisis triggered by the corona pandemic.

"Today we have to assume that he was very worried, especially worried about whether it could be possible to meet the huge expectations of the population, especially the financial aid. I have to assume that these worries have overwhelmed him. ”According to Bouffier, Schäfer obviously found no other way out. "He was desperate and left us. It shakes us, it shakes me. I think especially of his family at this hour. ”

In general, we do not report suicides so that such cases do not encourage potential imitators. Reporting takes place only when the circumstances receive special public attention. If you or someone you know is suffering from an existential life crisis or depression, please contact the telephone counseling service on 0800-1110111. Help is also provided by the psychiatric crisis service for Munich and Upper Bavaria at 0180-6553000. Further information can be found on the website www.krisendienst-psychiatrie.de/.

Hessian finance minister Thomas Schäfer is dead

First report from March 28, 2020:

Wiesbaden - Hessian Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer (CDU) is dead *. This was announced by the public prosecutor's office in Wiesbade n and the police headquarters in West Hesse on Saturday evening. According to police, the body of the 54-year-old was discovered on an ICE route in Hochheim in the Main-Taunus district . Due to the overall circumstances, investigators assume suicide. The CDU politician died at the age of 54.

The doctorate in law was treated as a possible successor * to Prime Minister Volker Bouffier * (CDU) if he did not run again in the 2023 state elections.

Wiesbaden: Hessian Finance Minister Thomas Schäfer dead

In the evening Bouffier showed himself in a statement "stunned and shocked" in the face of Schäfer's death. He expressed his "sincere condolences" to the relatives. Schäfer has been Hesse's finance minister since August 2010. He was a co-founder of the Life with Cancer Foundation.

We are stunned. The CDU Hessen mourns the loss of Dr. Thomas Schafer. We were shocked to hear the news of his sudden and unexpected death. Our thoughts are with his family and relatives. pic.twitter.com/G7WAj8znTN

- CDU Hessen (@cdu_hessen) March 28, 2020

As announced by the Wiesbaden public prosecutor and the police on Saturday evening, at 10.20 a.m. on Saturday a lifeless person was reported on the railway line near Hochheim . The subsequent investigation revealed that it was Schäfer 's body. "Due to the overall circumstances, the extensive crime scene work, the questioning of numerous witnesses, the situation on site, as well as technical and criminal science evaluations and investigations," as it was said, the investigators assume suicide.

Hessian finance minister Thomas Schäfer dead - opposition mourns

The opposition parties in the Hessian state parliament were also deeply shaken. The SPD parliamentary group leader and SPD country chief Nancy Faeser wrote on Twitter. "I am stunned and deeply dismayed about the death of Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Schäfer . ”The left faction in the Hessian state parliament wrote in a tweet:“ The death of Hesse's finance minister Dr. Thomas Schäfer leaves us with horror and shock. "

dpa / afp

* merkur.de and fr.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Arne Dedert

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-03-30

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