A man suspected of leaking Formula One champion Michael Schumacher's
medical files was found hanged in his police cell, a Zurich prosecutor
says.
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 (NZ$79,000) 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.
An investigation by Zurich's cantonal prosecutor led to the arrest
of a Rega employee on Tuesday (local time) in connection with violating
patient privacy and medical secrecy. He was found dead in his cell
Wednesday (local time).
The man, who was due to be questioned, denied the allegations. The
prosecutor said he had found no indication that a third party was
involved in the death of the man.
Rega CEO Ernst Kohler said in a statement that the helicopter company was "saddened" by the "tragic event."
Schumacher, who won a record 91 Grand Prix victories, left the sport
last year after a disappointing three-year comeback with Mercedes
following an earlier retirement from Ferrari at the end of 2006.
Schumacher's wife Corinna and teenage daughter and son lived in the family home midway between Geneva and Lausanne.

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