The men accused of stealing jewels from the Green Vault in Dresden face several years in prison. In the trial before the district court of Dresden, which has been going on for a year, the chamber on Tuesday proposed a prison sentence of up to six years and nine months for three suspects and a juvenile prison sentence of up to five years for two suspects.
A deal was struck between the prosecutor and the defense, with most of the stolen jewelry being returned in mid-December. According to experts, they are partially damaged.
Three pieces were not returned
In total, six defendants from the Berlin clan environment must answer for serious gang thefts and particularly serious arson, among other things. For two defendants, the court proposed a juvenile sentence of up to four years and nine months or, including previous convictions, a maximum of five years. According to the verdict, all defendants should be released on conditions.
Defense attorneys largely agreed with the proposed range of sentences, and in some cases released statements from their clients for the next week. The sixth defendant would have an alibi. The court did not mention a possible sentence in his case.
According to the president of the court, Andreas Ziegel, the court expects confessions from the suspect, as well as “concrete information” about the course of the crime and involvement in the crime. In addition, they should answer questions “believably”. Contrary to the indictment, the court no longer believes that the suspects acted as a gang. The goal of a deal in court is usually a reduced sentence. It is not yet clear when a ruling will be made.
The chamber had previously heard an expert and an investigator about the condition of the jewellery. Accordingly, three pieces less than announced were returned. In addition, some jewels are incomplete. Others were “hit” during cleaning efforts, presumably to cover tracks, Ziegel said. There has also been damage from storage in the 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 restoration of the jewels at around 126,000 euros, not including the replacement of the missing stones.
A Chief Inspector of the Special Commission of Inquiry, who received the jewelry in Berlin on December 16, also reported damage. The parts are “not all in good condition,” the witness said in court. The two unknown DNA traces on the jewelry could not be assigned to the suspect.
During the burglary in the Green Vault in Dresden in November 2019, culturally valuable jewelery from the 18th century was stolen. The loot had an estimated insurance value of no less than 113.8 million euros.
In mid-December, the police confiscated a significant part of the loot. There were 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 in the theft and the large breast bow of Queen Amalie Auguste are missing. (AFP)