Odette Krempin

{{Short description|Congolese entrepreneur and honorary consul}}

{{Dispute about|Dead of Odette Krempin: According to newspapers it is not sure that she died: [http://www.fr-online.de/frankfurt/ex-honorarkonsulin-raetselraten-um-tod-einer-prinzessin,1472798,34519222.html] (german).|date=July 2016}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Odette Maniema Krempin

|image = Odette Krempin cropped.jpg

|alt = =

|caption = Odette Krempin

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1973|10|30|}}{{cite news|last=Badenhop|first=Peter|title=Prinzessin, Designerin,Konsulin|trans-title=Princess, designer, consul|newspaper=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|date=July 21, 2009|url=https://www.faz.net/s/RubFAE83B7DDEFD4F2882ED5B3C15AC43E2/Doc~EF8003EAFB7734D2B94D3B2D163DB3B78~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html|access-date=December 17, 2009}}

|birth_place = Maniema, Zaire

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|06|27|1973|10|30}}{{cite news|title=Der rätselhafte Tod von Kongo-Prinzessin Odette|url=http://www.bild.de/bild-plus/regional/frankfurt/todesfall/der-raetselhafte-tod-von-kongo-prinzessin-odette-46698010,var=x,view=conversionToLogin.bild.html|access-date=8 July 2016|publisher=BILD|date=8 July 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Rigot|first1=Marie|title="Princesse" Odette est morte|url=http://www.dhnet.be/actu/faits/princesse-odette-est-morte-5787dc2b357086b3e0d0d430|website=DH.be|access-date=19 July 2016}}

|death_place = Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

|nationality = Congolese

|other_names =

|known_for =

|occupation = 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.{{cite news|last=Becker|first=Lilith|title=Eine Prinzessin aus Afrika|trans-title=A princess from Africa|language=de|newspaper=Frankfurter Rundschau|date=July 13, 2009|url=http://www.fr-online.de/frankfurt_und_hessen/nachrichten/frankfurt/1833964_Portraet-Eine-Prinzessin-aus-Afrika.html|access-date=December 17, 2009}}

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

In September 2011, Krempin was appointed Chairwoman of Somima, a mining company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.{{cite web |url=http://www.lecongolais.cd/maniema-somima-produit-1-000-tonnes-de-cassiterite-et-700-tonnes-de-coltan/ |title=www.lecongolais.cd |access-date=2012-03-19}}{{cite web |url=http://www.somima.com/company/management |title=Somima S.P.R.L.» Management |access-date=2012-03-19}}

She was the subject of various scandals involving allegations of fraud, embezzlement of donations and other financial improprieties.{{cite news|last1=Huber|first1=Till|title="Wie in einem schlechten Film" - Prinzessin kontert Spenden-Vorwürfe|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/frankfurt/prinzessin-kontert-spenden-vorwuerfe-wie-in-einem-schlechten-film-1624067.html|access-date=8 July 2016|newspaper=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|date=10 December 2009}}{{cite news|last1=Leppert|first1=Georg|title=Gar keine Prinzessin?|url=http://www.fr-online.de/rhein-main/fall-odette-krempin-gar-keine-prinzessin-,1472796,3217312.html|access-date=8 July 2016|newspaper=Frankfurter Rundschau|date=11 December 2009}} Doubts were also thrown upon the veracity of her business-related claims. In 2012, she declared personal bankruptcy in Germany. For non-payment of personal invoices and failure to appear, a German criminal court sentenced her to a payment of €15,000 in 2015.{{cite news|last1=Schulenberg|first1=Sönke|title=Schöne Prinzessin schwänzt Strafprozess|url=http://www.bild.de/regional/frankfurt/prozess/schoene-odette-erscheint-nicht-vor-gericht-40553148.bild.html|access-date=8 July 2016|publisher=BILD|date=15 April 2015}}

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 {{ill|Serge Kubla|fr}} as mayor of Waterloo, Belgium.{{cite web|title=Affaire Duferco : Stephan De Witte a-t-il organisé sa disparition au Congo?|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_affaire-duferco-stephan-de-witte-a-t-il-organise-sa-disparition-au-congo?id=9178857|website=www.rtbf.be|publisher=Radio Télévision Belge Francophone|access-date=8 July 2016}}{{cite news|title=Belgium detains steel executives on suspicion of Congo bribery|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN0MD1SC20150317|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319060650/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN0MD1SC20150317|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 March 2015|access-date=8 July 2016|work=Reuters|date=17 March 2015}}

She died in Goma in the summer of 2016.