A man arrested on suspicion of stealing Michael Schumacher’s medial records following his skiing accident has been found dead.
The unnamed man was a manager at Swiss Air rescue company Rega – which transferred Schumacher to hospital – and is believed to have stolen the files and offered them for sale to several newspapers for £40,000 ($68,000).
He was arrested on Tuesday, but was found hanged in his jail cell on Wednesday morning by Swiss police.
Schumacher was transferred from a French hospital to a Swiss hospital nearer his home by the helicopter company in June.
Prosecutors had been investigating a possible breach of privacy at Rega after they tracked the sale back to a company computer.
In a statement, Rega CEO and Chairman Ernst Kohler said: “We are deeply affected by today’s announcement by the public prosecutor’s office of Zurich Canton, that the Rega employee arrested yesterday on suspicion of violating the rules of professional secrecy presumably committed suicide in his cell last night.
“This tragic event saddens us and leaves us lost for words. Our thoughts and most sincere condolences go to the relatives of the deceased and his friends and colleagues.”
“Rega is in contact with the relatives and is supporting them to the best of its ability. The circumstances of his death are still being investigated by the public prosecutor’s office of Zurich Canton.”
