Part of stolen German ‘crown jewels’ found after procedural settlement talks with suspects | Abroad

Several parts of the jewelry encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones appear to be complete upon first inspection. Below, the breast star of the Order of the White Eagle – the highest Polish decoration – and a hat decoration. The seized jewelery was transferred to Dresden under the supervision of special police units. They will first be examined by forensic investigators in search of traces. Specialists from the Dresden State Art Collections then examine the jewelry for authenticity and completeness.

The in November 2019 of the museum Gerwölbe Grunes (Green Vault) looted jewelry is part of the collection ‘crown jewels’ of Elector Frederick August II (1670-1733), also called Augustus the Strong or ‘the Sun King of Saxony’ because of the many art-laden Baroque buildings he had built. The museum, which owes its name to the walls painted partly in malachite green, is located in the Residentieslot.

The confiscation of the jewels follows “exploratory talks” between the lawyers of the six suspects and the public ministry (OM) with the intervention of the court. The central theme was “a possible agreement on the continuation and outcome of the criminal proceedings and the restitution of the available loot”. According to the prosecution, the details of this “agreement” cannot be disclosed now “because we are saving it for the hearing”. The trial will continue next Wednesday, she said.

The interior minister of the state of Saxony thanked the police and justice on Twitter for their “successful work”. The managing director of the Dresden State Art Collection calls the confiscation of part of the loot a “true Christmas miracle”. “I always said the adornments would come back,” she told regional TV channel MDR.

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Jewel stealing in the early morning of November 25, 2019, burglars stole 21 jewels containing a total of 4,300 diamonds and brilliants with a total value of more than 113 million euros. The investigation led to the arrest of seven suspects, including Twins.

Six of them have been on trial in Dresden since the end of January for aggravated gang robbery and arson. The defendants are of German nationality and are between 23 and 28 years old. According to German media, they belong to one Berlin’s notorious “clan”as is suspect number seven who has been detained since May.

Also in the case a 54-year-old Dutchman arrested for fraud in connection with the theft of jewellery. He posed as a diamond dealer and claimed that someone had offered him the breast star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle for 40,000 euros. The 50-year-old said he wanted to return the gem-encrusted award to the State Art Collection, owned by the state of Saxony, after the purchase.

After representatives of the Dresden State Art Collection handed him 40,000 euros for the redemption of the chest medal, he fled. In reality, he had never owned the precious jewel, the public prosecutor (OM) announced last month.

In June last year, a group of wealthy Germans offered a €1 million gold tipping reward that leads to the recovery of spoils from the jewel theft spectacular. At the end of 2019, the police and the public prosecutor were already offering a reward of 500,000 euros for the discovery of the treasure jewel. German private investigator Josef Resch, known for his investigation into the downing of MH17 and who offered a 38 million euro reward for the names of the perpetrators, has promised a 5 million euro reward for the theft of jewellery. This brings the total to 6.5 million euros.

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