Thinking hopelessly about the repercussions of the novel coronavirus over the economy, the finance minister in the German state of Hesse, Thomas Schäfer , has taken his own life.
His colleagues said he was pushed over the edge by an inability to cope with the harsh economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Schäfer ’s body was discovered, on Saturday, near the speed railway track line near Wiesbaden, in the town of Hochheim between Frankfurt and Mainz, while prosecutors said that the cause of his death was most likely suicide.
The politician apparently left a note before taking his own life, German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, citing sources close to the investigation. The note, according to the report, referenced Schäfer's reasons for his apparent suicide.
According to media in the state of Hesse, the 54-year-old regularly appeared in public in recent days, for example, to inform the public about financial assistance during the coronavirus crisis.
“We are in shock; we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad,” Volker Bouffier, head of the Hesse regional government said.
He mentioned that Schäfer was a close associate and fellow member of Angela Merkel’s CDU party.
Schäfer has greatly contributed to the region’s success while serving as its finance minister for the last decade. The 54-year-old’s professional qualities were hailed by many, and he was expected to eventually replace Bouffier as the state’s PM.
Bouffier recalled that Schäfer, who leaves behind a wife and two children, was working “day and night” in order to minimize the impact of the pandemic on businesses and employees, but the task turned out to be insurmountable. “We have to assume that he was deeply worried,” the PM said.
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 fulfill the huge expectations of the population, especially in terms of financial aid," Bouffier said on Sunday. "He clearly couldn't see any way out. He was desperate, and so he left us. That has shocked us, has shocked me."
"Our sincere condolences go to his closest relatives," he added.
Hesse is one of the wealthiest states in Germany and home to Frankfurt am Main, which is regarded as the financial capital of Europe’s largest economy. The city hosts the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the European Central Bank (ECB), as well as the HQs of Deutsche Bank and other major German companies.
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