Process - Thomas Drach expects "crystal-clear acquittal"
In the trial for several cash-in-transit robberies, the accused Thomas Drach today denied all guilt. "I expect a crystal-clear acquittal," said the Reemtsma kidnapper in his "last word" in Cologne district court. "If I am convicted, I will immediately file charges with an independent public prosecutor's office."
After the "last word", the judge interrupted the hearing for the time being. The chamber may hand down its verdict on Thursday.
According to the indictment, Drach is alleged to have committed four spectacular robberies of cash-in-transit vehicles in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main and Limburg in Hesse in 2018 and 2019. The 63-year-old is also charged with attempted murder: In two of the crimes, he is alleged to have shot at cash carriers, and the two men suffered serious injuries.
The public prosecutor's office has demanded a prison sentence of 15 years for Drach, followed by preventive detention.
In 1996, Drach kidnapped Jan Philipp Reemtsma, heir to the Hamburg tobacco dynasty Reemtsma, and released him for ransom. He was sentenced to fourteen and a half years in prison for the crime.
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- Despite being accused of multiple cash-in-transit robberies in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, and Limburg in Hesse, the alleged perpetrator, Thomas Drach, maintains his innocence and expects an "acquittal" in North Rhine-Westphalia's courts.
- If the public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia convicts Thomas Drach for his alleged involvement in the robberies and attempted murders, he has vowed to challenge the verdict with an independent public prosecutor's office in Germany.
- The public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia has requested a 15-year prison sentence for Drach, followed by preventive detention, due to his alleged involvement in four spectacular cash-in-transit robberies and two attempted murders in Germany between 2018 and 2019.
- During the trial, Drach indicated that he would not back down and mentioned that he would immediately file charges against the public prosecutor's office if he was convicted, referencing his past experiences in the German justice system following his kidnapping of Jan Philipp Reemtsma, heir to the Hamburg tobacco dynasty, in 1996.
- The robberies for which Thomas Drach is on trial took place in the cities of Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, and Limburg in Hesse, with the alleged attempts on cash carriers resulting in severe injuries for two individuals.
- Despite serving a fourteen-and-a-half-year prison sentence for his role in the 1996 kidnapping of Jan Philipp Reemtsma in Hamburg, Thomas Drach is now facing new allegations of criminality in several cash-in-transit robberies and attempted murders throughout Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
