ZURICH, (Reuters) – A man suspected of leaking Formula One champion Michael Schumacher’s medical files was found hanged in his police cell yesterday, Zurich’s cantonal prosecutor said in a statement.
The man, who was not named, worked as a manager at Swiss helicopter company Rega, which was involved in Schumacher’s transfer from Grenoble hospital to University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) on June 16 after he emerged from a coma. Seven-time F1 winner Schumacher, 45, suffered severe head injuries in a ski accident in the French Alps late last year.
The French daily “Le Dauphine Libere” reported in early July that leaked documents being offered to European media for some 60,000 Swiss francs ($67,200) appeared to have come from the IP address of a computer at a Zurich-based helicopter company.
Rega lodged a criminal complaint on July 8 for the suspected leak of Schumacher’s medical files, but said at the time it had no proof that one of its employees was implicated.