Former soccer player Hiannick Kamba is alive after being presumed dead in a car accident in January 2016.
German newspaper Bild reported that the 33-year-old has been working and living in the European country. Claims surfaced in 2016 that he was killed in a crash in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, Kamba shared his version of events with a German prosecutor.
According to the former athlete, the “companions” he was with “left him during the night while on a trip to the interior of the Congo in January 2016 and they took his papers, money and telephone,” prosecutor Anette Milk told Bild. The car accident in question was allegedly staged.
Kamba claimed that he went to a German embassy in the Congo in 2018 to prove he was not dead, but because he was lacking identification, the process stalled.
In another twist to the story, Kamba’s ex-wife confirmed his alleged death with documents — including his death certificate — she provided and allegedly forged. In turn, she collected a six-figure insurance policy and is now being investigated for insurance fraud. Kamba, for his part, claimed he was not aware of her actions, and he will serve as a witness in her case. He has not been charged with a crime and it is unclear if investigators believe he was involved in the alleged scheme.
Kamba now works as a chemical technician at an energy supply company in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. He shares a 10-year-old child with his ex-wife.
Milk tells Us Weekly that Kamba “has returned to Germany” and “there are no reasonable doubts about his identity.” She adds that his ex-wife “denies the charge” of insurance fraud lodged against her. Kamba’s ex has yet to officially be charged with a crime.
The former defender played for the VfB Hüls at the time that reports of the car accident surfaced. He also shined while competing in youth soccer for FC Schalke 04 in the German Bundesliga league.
Kamba originally moved to Germany in 1986 when his family left the Congo. His relatives were deported in 2005, but he was allowed to remain in the country because of his position with Schalke. He was granted residency rights at the time.
