Marie Christine from Opel

Marie Christine von Opel , called Putzi, (* 1951 ; † October 24, 2006 in western Andalusia ) came from the German entrepreneurial family Opel and was the great-granddaughter of Adam Opel .

She was the daughter of Fritz von Opel and Emita Herrán Olozaga (1913–1967), granddaughter of Wilhelm von Opel and sister of Frederick von Opel . Marie Christine von Opel was educated in boarding schools in Switzerland and was herself a Swiss. In the 1970s, she was part of the St. Tropez jet set . In 1977 she made negative headlines when she and six others were in the Opel villa because of the smuggling and possession of around 2.5 tonnes of hashish, of which around 1.8 tonnes could be secured by the police, at the then black market value of 8 million DM arrested in St. Tropez and sentenced to ten years in prison in late 1978. Her brother had given the tip for the raid. Her German friend, the father of her then three-year-old daughter (* 1975), had been sentenced to sixteen years, which was also confirmed in the appeal. A loan she gave her boyfriend was interpreted by the court as drug funding, and the defense did not believe the defense's version that she had lost track of her friends' activities due to the bountiful lifestyle and drug use. At the trial in Draguignan , she was represented by the Parisian star attorney Robert Badinter and she was supported by her cousin Gunter Sachs , who with the help of experts - she was at times emaciated to 37 kg - had meanwhile achieved exemption from custody, criticized the verdict in front of the press and said that the harsh verdict was only due to her prominence: "If my cousin Lieschen Müller were, they would have taken her to the stand in this matter, hardly any more". - In June 1980 the sentence was halved by an appeals court and in 1981 she was released on an amnesty for imprisoned mothers but was expelled from France.

She initially lived in Switzerland and married a Swiss entrepreneur in 1988, but the couple later separated. Most recently she lived secluded in southern Spain.

She drowned in 2006 when a sudden storm in the province of Huelva caused the Odiel River to overflow its banks, knocking her car, herself and two passengers away in a tidal wave. A passenger also died, her driver was able to save himself.

Web links

Died: Christina von Opel . Der Spiegel 44/2006, October 30, 2006

Individual evidence

^ Gerhard Mauz : Cousin and cousin: Gerhard Mauz on the conviction of Christina von Opel in Draguignan . Der Spiegel 48/1979, November 26, 1979, pp. 166-167.
↑ Aristocracy: One should keep to oneself . Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 248/2006 of October 25, 2006, p. 11.
↑ Processes: Demonic Kind . Der Spiegel 26/1980, June 23, 1980, pp. 94-96.
↑ Your aunt Elinor von Opel was married to the industrialist Willy Sachs.
↑ Norman Raap: Spain: Gunter Sachs' cousin came off the street in the rain - Opel heiress dies in a car accident . Hamburger Abendblatt , October 25, 2006.

personal data
SURNAME	Opel, Marie Christine from
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Opel, Putzi from
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Swiss Opel heiress, great-granddaughter of Adam Opel
DATE OF BIRTH	1951
DATE OF DEATH	October 24, 2006
Place of death	West Andalusia

[1] Gerhard Mauz : Cousin and cousin: Gerhard Mauz on the conviction of Christina von Opel in Draguignan . Der Spiegel 48/1979, November 26, 1979, pp. 166-167.

[2] Aristocracy: One should keep to oneself . Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 248/2006 of October 25, 2006, p. 11.

[3] Processes: Demonic Kind . Der Spiegel 26/1980, June 23, 1980, pp. 94-96.

[4] Your aunt Elinor von Opel was married to the industrialist Willy Sachs.

[5] Norman Raap: Spain: Gunter Sachs' cousin came off the street in the rain - Opel heiress dies in a car accident . Hamburger Abendblatt , October 25, 2006.