Dale Gribble

Breaking News - Uwe Gemballa Found Murdered In South Africa

News is coming in that the body of Uwe Gemballa has been found in South Africa. Gemballa was the former CEO of the Porsche tuning company that bears his name. As we reported earlier this year, Mr. Gemballa went missing in February after arriving in South Africa for a business trip.

The details that poured in after the reported disappearance of Gemballa caused great speculation that shady business deals were afoot. He was reportedly having trouble paying its employees, his wife was given power of attorney and registered the company for bankruptcy and he had started a second company with his 79 year-old mother listed as the sole stockholder.

To further muddy the waters, it's being reported that Uwe Gemballa was turning towards Czech fugitive and South African organized crime boss, Radovan Krejcir. A former business partner of Krejcirs by the name of Juan Meyer has provided the local police with a sworn statement, saying that the Porsche tuner and the mobster were working on a business arrangement. Gemballa was slow in getting money to Krejcir and it may be what cost him his life.

It's a sad, speculative end for a once famed tuner of German sports cars. The Gemballa company has moved on since Uwe's disappearance but these new stories can't help it as remaining employees attempt to revive the company.
Thanks for the tips, Alexander and Nicolas!

[Source: Stern.de – translated from German into English]

Zookie

shish kabab

beentherebaby

That's very unfortunate. He supposedly went to S.A. with lots of money and the wife wired him millions more once he arrived.

raspberryroadster

theiceman

ugly cars anyway ... juts sayin'

Torontoworker

+1

Wes_R

Very sad.

This car should be worth a $100000 more with all the hype around the name now http://mvlleasing.autotrader.ca/used...300a1416b4.htm.

gekko

I wonder if this car will ever sell . . . . its been there forever

chrenan

That's too bad, business must have been RUF.

theiceman

an exerpt from another article :

Cars and cash
Uwe Gemballa, a German, carried out performance upgrades of Porsche and Ferrari cars for the super-rich. He went missing after arriving at OR Tambo airport on February 8 this year.

A former business associate of Krejcir, Juan Meyer, claims that Krejcir told him he was using cars imported with the assistance of Gemballa to smuggle cash into South Africa.

But, claims Meyer, when a Porsche was imported in September last year, the cash was missing. Meyer claims he overheard an angry phone exchange between Krejcir and Gemballa about the money.

Krejcir has dismissed Meyer as a nut and denies any connection with Gemballa's disappearance. He told M-Net's Carte Blanche: "I never see ... Uwe Gemballa."

However, Krejcir's associate Safi confirms that he, Safi, was in contact with Gemballa about setting up a franchise of the Gemballa sports car business in South Africa.

Safi said that another Krejcir associate, security consultant Cyril Beeka, was also set to be involved in the project, which Krejcir was to finance, but that Gemballa never made Strekcontact with them after his arrival in South Africa.

The M&G has seen copies of correspondence with Gemballa from a "Jerome Saphire" about setting up such a franchise. Krejcir did not respond to questions about whether Gemballa was aware of his connection with Saphire. Beeka declined to respond to questions.

Sultan

I wonder if James Gandolfini will play the role of "Krejcir" when they make the movie of this.....

CWhaley

When you dance with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight....!