A German court docket is ready to announce verdicts for six members of a felony gang accused of stealing priceless 18th-century jewels from Dresden’s Green Vault museum in a heist dubbed the biggest in modern history by German media. The theft, which occurred in November 2019, noticed the criminals make off with artefacts value over US$123 million.
The trial, which began in January 2022, has revealed particulars about the daring nighttime raid, with three defendants confessing to their involvement. Although a significant portion of the stolen items has been recovered, some historic items may be lost endlessly as a outcome of thieves’ “remarkable felony drive and recklessness,” in accordance with prosecutors.
Among the stolen gadgets have been a sword with a diamond-encrusted hilt and a shoulder piece containing the famous 49-carat Dresden white diamond. Prosecutor Christian Weber acknowledged that the defendants had stolen “unique and irreplaceable treasures… of excellent cultural and historical significance.”
The accused people are members of the “Remmo clan,” an prolonged household with connections to organised crime in Germany. Two of the accused, Wissam and Mohamed Remmo, had been already serving time for the 2017 theft of a large gold coin from a Berlin museum.
Template , aged between 24 and 29, allegedly entered the museum by way of a window with damaged bars, broke a show case with an axe, and took 21 items encrusted with four,300 jewels in beneath five minutes. They later escaped in a getaway car that was set on fireplace in a parking storage.
Although a “considerable portion” of the stolen gadgets was recovered in December 2022, many gadgets had been severely broken, and some pieces are still missing. Police divers searched a Berlin canal for the lost artefacts, but only found instruments likely used in the break-in.
In January, four defendants confessed, leading to a deal for lighter sentences. A fifth admitted stealing instruments to enter the constructing however denied taking part within the heist. Prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of up to six years and eight months for 3 of the accused and juvenile sentences of as much as six years for 2 others who have been minors on the time. A sixth defendant is expected to be acquitted because of a reputable alibi.
Defence attorneys have referred to as for greater leniency for the other five defendants, citing their clients’ contribution to recovering a lot of the stolen property. However, they have confronted criticism for not figuring out their accomplices. Approximately forty people believed to have been involved in the heist remain at massive.
The trial has uncovered important security failings at the state institution. Marius Winzeler, the museum’s director, remains “optimistic” that the lacking pieces will ultimately be returned to Dresden, as they “cannot be legally sold.”