1/6
The men accused of stealing jewels from the Green Vault in Dresden face several years in prison.
The men accused of stealing jewels from the Green Vault in Dresden face several years in prison. In the trial before the Dresden Regional Court, which has been going on for a year, the chamber proposed on Tuesday three suspects imprisonment of up to six years and nine months and two suspects youth imprisonment of up to five years.
This was preceded by a deal between the public prosecutor and the defense, in the course of which most of the stolen jewelry was returned in mid-December. According to experts, they are partially damaged.
Three pieces were not returned
A total of six defendants from the Berlin clan milieu have to answer for, among other things, serious gang theft and particularly serious arson. In the case of two defendants, the court proposed a juvenile sentence of up to four years and nine months or, including previous convictions, up to five years. According to the verdict, a release from detention should apply to all defendants against conditions.
The defense attorneys largely agreed to the proposed range of sentences and in some cases announced statements from their clients for the coming week. The sixth defendant is said to have an alibi. The court did not name a possible sentence in his case.
According to the presiding judge Andreas Ziegel, the court expects confessions from the accused as well as “concrete information” about the course of the crime and involvement in the crime. In addition, they would have to “answer credibly” questions. Contrary to the indictment, the court no longer believes that the defendants acted as a gang. The aim of a deal in court is usually a reduction in sentence. It is not yet clear when a verdict will be reached.
The chamber had previously heard an expert and an investigator on the condition of the jewelry. Accordingly, three pieces were returned less than announced. In addition, some of the jewels are incomplete. Others were “affected” during cleaning attempts, presumably to erase traces, said Ziegel. Damage was also caused by storage in water.
Jewels worth 113.8 million euros stolen
An expert from the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD) spoke of fractures, scratches, rust due to moisture and numerous missing diamonds. The SKD estimates the work involved in restoring the jewels at around 126,000 euros, not counting the replacement of the missing stones.
A chief inspector of the investigating special commission, who received the jewelry on December 16 in Berlin, also reported damage. The parts are “not all in good condition,” said the witness in court. The two unknown DNA traces found on the jewelry could not be assigned to the accused.
During the burglary of the Green Vault in Dresden in November 2019, culturally and historically valuable jewelery from the 18th century was stolen. The loot had an estimated insurance value of at least 113.8 million euros.
In mid-December, the police confiscated a significant portion of the loot. It was a total of 31 objects or parts thereof. Among them were the well-known hat ornaments and the breast star of the Polish White Eagle Order from the diamond set. On the other hand, the diamond epaulette with the “Saxon White” that was damaged during the theft and the large breast bow of Queen Amalie Auguste are missing. (AFP)