Another banker found dead under questionable circumstances

Geert Tack Haaltert

52-year-old Belgian Geert Tack - a private banker for ING who managed portfolios for wealthy individuals - was described as 'impeccable', 'sporty', 'cared-for', and 'successful' and so as Vermist reports, after disappearing a month ago, the appearance of his body off the coast of Ostend is surrpunded by riddles...

Tack disappeared on November 5th...

Impeccable. Sporty. Cared for. Successful. Just some qualifications that are attributed to the 52-year-old from the Belgian Geert Tack Haaltert.

Geert Tack worked as a private banker for ING and managed portfolios of wealthy clients. The Belgian was much respected in the financial world and was known as an up and top professional. His sudden disappearance had the effect of a bombshell. "If Tack himself was having trouble he has managed to keep it well hidden", colleagues say.

Nobody then could have guessed that the man would not return on Wednesday, November 5th to his wife in their villa Vondelen.

And would be found dead this weekend off the coast of Ostend...

On December 3, the body was found on the coast of Ostend and removed from the water. The prosecutor confirmed today that it is Geert Tack, but it is still awaiting further results of the autopsy for the exact cause of death. The results of toxicological testing are not yet known.The examiner states that the body showed no outward signs of violence.

Geert Tack rental car found abandoned

As Vermist comments, he was well-liked and successful but the situation of his disappearance remain odd to say the least...

What makes the case very mysterious are the rather peculiar circumstances under which he disappeared. A few weeks earlier Tack drove his car to the garage and then took a replacement car. Oddly enough, he used it much later, shortly before he disappeared. Meanwhile, the car, a Renault Espace, has been found in Knokke, but Tack's whereabouts are still unknown to this day. Also - why did he find it sometimes so difficult to get to sleep in the weeks before his disappearance? Why did he leave his laptop and cell phone at home that Wednesday morning ?Although a desperate act can not be excluded, there are also people considering the missing part of a preconceived plan. From his position Tack had the opportunity - whether or not forced by third parties - to run off with money from his clients. It is a hypothesis that is being seriously investigated by the federal police, but which colleagues refuse to consider. "He would never do something like that" said one of them with certainty. "Geert is a blameless man.

This is the 36th Dead Banker of the year :

1) David Bird, 55, long-time reporter for the Wall Street Journal working at the Dow Jones news room

2) Tim Dickenson, a U.K.-based communications director at Swiss Re AG

3) William Broeksmit, 58, former senior manager for Deutsche Bank

4) Ryan Henry Crane, age 37, JP Morgan

5) Li Junjie, 33, Hong Kong JP Morgan

6) Gabriel Magee, 39, age JP Morgan employee

7) Mike Dueker, 50, who had worked for Russell Investments

8) Richard Talley, 57, was the founder and CEO of American Title (real estate titles)

9) James Stuart Jr. 70, Former National Bank of Commerce CEO was found dead in Scottsdale, Ariz

10) Jason Alan Salais, 34 year old IT Specialist at JPMorgan since 2008

11) Autumn Radtke, 28, CEO of First Meta, a Singapore-based virtual currency trading platform

12) Eddie Reilly, 47, investment banker, Vertical Group, New York

13) Kenneth Ballando, 28, investment banker, Levy Capital, New york

14) Joseph A. Giampapa, 55, corporate bankruptcy lawyer, JP Morgan Chase

15) Jan Peter Schmittmann, 57, voormalig topbestuurder ANB/AMRO, Laren, Nederland

16) Juergen Frick, 48, CEO Bank Frick & Co AG, Liechtenstein

17) Benoît Philippens, 37, directeur BNP Parisbas Fortis Bank, Ans, België.

18) Lydia..., 52, bankier Bred-Banque-Populaire, Parijs

19) Andrew Jarzyk, 27, bankier, PNC Bank, New York

20) Carlos Six, 61, Hoofd Belastingdienst en lid CREDAF, België

21) Jan Winkelhuijzen, 75, Commissaris en Fiscalist (voormalig Deloitte), Nederland.

22) Richard Rockefeller, 66, achterkleinzoon elitebankier John D. Rockefeller, Amerika

23) Mahafarid Amir Khosravi (Amir Mansour Aria), 45, bankeigenaar, zakenman en derivatenhandelaar, Iran

24) Lewis Katz, 76, zakenman, advocaat en insider in de bancaire wereld, Amerika

25) Julian Knott, Directeur Global Operations Center JP Morgan, 45, Amerika

26) Richard Gravino, IT Specialist JP Morgan, 49, Amerika

27) Thomas James Schenkman, Managing Director Global Infrastructure JP Morgan, 42, Amerika

28) Nicholas Valtz, 39, Managing Director Goldman Sachs, New York, Amerika

29) Therese Brouwer, 50, Managing Director ING, Nederland

30) Tod Robert Edward, 51, Vice President M & T Bank, Amerika

31) Thierry Leyne, 48, investeringsbankier en eigenaar Anatevka S.A., Israël

32) Calogero Gambino, 41, Managing Director Deutsche Bank, Amerika

33) Shawn D. Miller, 42, Managing Director Citigroup, New York, Amerika

34) Melissa Millian, 54, Senior Vice President Mass Mutual, Amerika

35) Thieu Leenen, 64, Relatiemanager ABN/AMRO, Eindhoven, Nederland

36) Geert Tack, 52, Private Banker ING, Haaltert, België