Odette Krempin

Odette Maniema Krempin
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Odette Krempin
Born(1973-10-30)October 30, 1973[1]
Maniema, Zaire
DiedJune 27, 2016(2016-06-27) (aged 42)[2][3]
Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
NationalityCongolese
Occupation(s)honorary consul, philanthropist

Princess Odette Maniema Krempin (October 30, 1973 – June 27, 2016) was an African entrepreneur and former honorary consul of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Frankfurt am Main.[4]

Krempin grew up in the province of Maniema, until her family moved to Paris when she was eight years old.[4] She became a tailor, studied fashion design in Paris and Marrakech, and opened a boutique in Niger at the age of 20.[1][4] Krempin moved to Frankfurt am Main in 2007, and founded the Deutsch-Afrikanisches Jugendwerk, a teaching organization.[4]

In September 2011, Krempin was appointed Chairwoman of Somima, a mining company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[5][6]

She was the subject of various scandals involving allegations of fraud, embezzlement of donations and other financial improprieties.[7][8][2] Doubts were also thrown upon the veracity of her business-related claims.[2] In 2012, she declared personal bankruptcy in Germany.[2] For non-payment of personal invoices and failure to appear, a German criminal court sentenced her to a payment of €15,000 in 2015.[2][9]

Together with her then-boyfriend Stefan De Witte, she disappeared in 2014 while being sought for questioning by Belgian police in the Duferco corruption scandal, which had led to multiple arrests and the resignation of Serge Kubla [fr] as mayor of Waterloo, Belgium.[10][11]

She died in Goma in the summer of 2016.[2]

  1. ^ a b Badenhop, Peter (July 21, 2009). "Prinzessin, Designerin,Konsulin" [Princess, designer, consul]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Der rätselhafte Tod von Kongo-Prinzessin Odette". BILD. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  3. ^ Rigot, Marie. ""Princesse" Odette est morte". DH.be. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Becker, Lilith (July 13, 2009). "Eine Prinzessin aus Afrika" [A princess from Africa]. Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  5. ^ "www.lecongolais.cd". Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  6. ^ "Somima S.P.R.L.» Management". Retrieved 2012-03-19.
  7. ^ Huber, Till (10 December 2009). ""Wie in einem schlechten Film" - Prinzessin kontert Spenden-Vorwürfe". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  8. ^ Leppert, Georg (11 December 2009). "Gar keine Prinzessin?". Frankfurter Rundschau. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  9. ^ Schulenberg, Sönke (15 April 2015). "Schöne Prinzessin schwänzt Strafprozess". BILD. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Affaire Duferco : Stephan De Witte a-t-il organisé sa disparition au Congo?". www.rtbf.be. Radio Télévision Belge Francophone. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Belgium detains steel executives on suspicion of Congo bribery". Reuters. 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.