Accused are said to have been pawns and not Zampanos
Published: Wednesday, Jan 24th 2024, 11:10
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The defence lawyers for the alleged main organizers of the 2019 Lucerne jewelry robbery denied the role their clients are accused of at the criminal court on Wednesday. There was no evidence that they had organized the crime.
Jewelry and watches worth over 20 million francs were taken in a robbery at the Gübelin jewelry store on Lucerne's Schwanenplatz. The public prosecutor's office accuses half a dozen suspects of organizing and carrying out the crime based on a division of labour.
The main organizers are said to have been a 57-year-old man from North Macedonia and a 50-year-old Montenegrin resident in the canton of Lucerne. The public prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of eight years and a 15-year ban from the country for them.
It was not disputed that the two defendants had contact with persons allegedly involved in the robbery. However, there was no proof that his client had been the big shot, said the defense lawyer for the 57-year-old, who had bought the flight ticket for an assistant hired for the robbery. However, he himself was probably just a pawn. His role in the robbery remained unclear and unproven, and he should be acquitted of guilt and atonement.
According to the public prosecutor's office, all the strings came together at the 50-year-old's home, where the loot was also deposited. His defense lawyer said that there was insufficient legal evidence to support the accusation that his client had played a role in the planning and execution of the robbery. For example, there was no evidence that his client frequented the Lucerne brothel that served as the "control center of the crime".
According to the defense lawyer, the defendant was only guilty of receiving stolen goods because he allowed the robber to deposit the bags with the loot in his apartment. The defense lawyer spoke of contingent intent and demanded a conditional prison sentence of 18 months and a waiver of expulsion from the country.
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