Volkswacht Bodensee - Verdict due in spectacular German museum jewel heist

In what the German media have dubbed the biggest art heist in modern history, thieves made away with a haul worth more than 113 million euros ($123 million) from the Green Vault museum in November 2019.

The court proceedings, which began in January 2022, have shed some light on the spectacular case, with three of the defendants confessing before the regional court in the eastern city to participating in the brazen nighttime raid.

Although many of the historic pieces were recovered as part of a plea deal, some are feared lost forever in what prosecutors called an act of "remarkable criminal drive and recklessness" by the thieves.

The loot included a sword with a diamond-encrusted hilt and a shoulder piece which contained the famous 49-carat Dresden white diamond.

Prosecutor Christian Weber said on the opening day of the trial that the defendants had stolen "unique and irreplaceable treasures... of outstanding cultural and historical significance".

The accused are members of the so-called "Remmo clan", an extended family known for a web of ties to organised crime in Germany.

Two of the accused, Wissam and Mohamed Remmo, were already serving time for the daring 2017 theft of a massive gold coin from a Berlin museum.

They said the idea for the Dresden job was hatched after a younger acquaintance "came back from a field trip to the Green Vault... raving about the green diamonds on display there", in a statement read in court in January by their attorney.

The defendants, aged between 24 and 29, are accused of slipping into the museum through previously damaged bars on a window, breaking a display case with an axe and grabbing 21 pieces encrusted with 4,300 jewels in less than five minutes.

The thieves were able to escape in a getaway car that they later set ablaze in a parking garage.

For months after the crime, German authorities thought the haul was lost for good, as detectives scoured Europe's shadowy stolen goods markets for signs of the Saxon royal artefacts.

- 40 suspects still wanted -

That was until December 2022, when authorities said they had recovered a "considerable portion" of the items following "exploratory talks" with the suspects.

However, many of the items were badly damaged and some of the pieces are still missing, including a brooch that belonged to Queen Amalie Auguste of Saxony.

Police divers last winter searched a Berlin canal for the lost pieces but only turned up tools likely used in the break-in.

In January, four of the defendants confessed, leading to a deal for lighter sentences. A fifth said he stole tools to penetrate the building but denied allegations that he took part in the heist itself.

Prosecutors are seeking up to six years and eight months in prison for three of the accused and juvenile sentences of up six years for two further defendants who were minors at the time of the crime.

A sixth can expect an acquittal as he produced a credible alibi -- an emergency surgery at a Berlin hospital.

Defence attorneys have called for greater leniency for the other five defendants, citing their clients' contribution to recovering much of the loot. But they have been criticised for failing to finger their accomplices.

About 40 people are believed to have been involved in the heist and are still wanted.

The trial revealed grave security failings at the state institution. Its director, Marius Winzeler, has said he is "optimistic" that the remaining missing pieces will one day return to Dresden, given that they "cannot be legally sold".

Founded by Augustus, Elector of Saxony, in 1723, the Green Vault is one of Europe's oldest museums.

After the Royal Palace suffered severe damage in World War Two, the museum remained closed for decades before it was restored and reopened in 2006 as a major tourist draw.

J.Bergmann--BTB