By Markus Langner
Rough defeat in the hunt for Saxony’s crown jewels!
Almost three years after the spectacular burglary in the Green Vault on November 25, 2019, the public prosecutor announced on Thursday that the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) paid a fraudster 40,000 euros for a false offer to buy back part of the loot. The money is gone!
“The public prosecutor’s office in Dresden and the State Criminal Police Office in Saxony are currently investigating a 54-year-old Dutchman on suspicion of commercial fraud,” said senior public prosecutor Jürgen Schmidt (47).
The fraudster (54), who has a criminal record and has been in prison since March for another crime, is said to have contacted a renowned Dutch art detective in December 2021.
The fraudster posed as a diamond dealer from Antwerp. Schmidt: “The breast star of the Polish White Eagle Order, which was stolen during the break-in into the Green Vault, was offered for sale for EUR 40,000.”
The Antwerp native told the art detective that he had examined the eagle order and found it to be genuine. He offered to buy the piece of jewelry “from the vendors for the purpose of returning it to the Dresden State Art Collections”.
The detective then contacted the SKD and a private initiative that wants to get the loot back. Their lawyer agreed to provide the 40,000 euros in cash from private funds.
On December 27, the detective and several representatives met the fraudster in Antwerp: “The accused again pretended that he wanted to buy the jewel for the SKD. In the longer conversation, he demonstrated an extraordinary art expertise.
As a result, the representatives of the SKD decided to hand over the cash to the accused for the purpose of buying it back through the art detective, which they did. Contrary to his protestations, the suspect fled with the money,” summarizes senior public prosecutor Schmidt.
However, the perpetrator did not get far. Since he has a significant and relevant criminal record and has been in jail since March 2022 for another crime, his identity was quickly clarified. The Dresden district court issued a pre-trial arrest warrant in May. The accused remains silent on the allegations made against him.