Million-Coup - Break-in at Berlin vault room: Verdict expected
In the trial regarding the break-in into a Vault Room in Berlin-Charlottenburg with a haul worth millions, a verdict is expected today (13.30 PM). Five men are on trial, among them the former business manager of the company that had rented the vault. The prosecution demanded prison sentences between three and a half and nine years. Defense attorneys pleaded for lighter sentences, in one case for acquittal. The indictment includes charges of burglary in a particularly aggravated circumstance.
During the sensational incident on November 19, 2022, 295 safes were reportedly broken into and luxury watches, cash, precious metals, and securities were stolen. After the evidence was taken, the Prosecutor's Office estimates the haul to be worth at least around 21 million Euro, according to the prosecutor in his closing argument after a nine-month trial. "The whereabouts of the loot are unknown."
The suspects had keys and access codes
The alleged burglars - several previously unknown suspects and one of the accused - were well-equipped: The business manager of the vault at Fasanenstraße is suspected of having handed over transponders, keys, and access codes to them earlier. He also dismissed the previous security service for the vault and hired a security service of the alleged accomplices, as well as deactivated the alarm system.
The 53-year-old ex-business manager confessed and also implicated other defendants. In his case, the prosecutor pleaded for a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence. The prosecutor requested the maximum nine-year sentence for a 42-year-old man. "The threads converged in the background," he said, "he controlled everything."
- Despite the Prosecutor's Office estimating the stolen items to be worth millions high, the exact location of the loot remains a mystery.
- The Public Prosecutor's Office accused the former business manager of providing the accused men with keys and access codes to the vault, which was filled with high-end trinkets like luxury watches.
- During the trial, the defense attorneys pleaded for lighter sentences, even suggesting acquittal for one of the men, who had allegedly played a minor role in the incident.
- The 53-year-old ex-business manager, now facing charges for his involvement in this significant case of criminality, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, according to the court's decision.
- In a safe room within the vault, the men are believed to have stored their tools and plans during the decline of their criminal activities.
