The now 15 of the original 24 accused were accused of having declared flawless beer as broken goods and sold it secretly from 2009 to 2017. Some cases were settled diversionally, for some accused there was already an acquittal. Since May 2, the jury courtroom has been dealing with the theft of beer, which according to the public prosecutor is said to have caused damage of 1.7 million euros, every Monday to Wednesday. In addition to commercial theft as part of a criminal organization, the accused were accused of embezzlement, receiving stolen goods and gang tax evasion. Judge Andreas Rom dismissed the financial proceedings right at the beginning, this crime should be negotiated separately.
Perfect beer declared as broken goods
The thefts went through the so-called “broken goods”, which had to be checked and confirmed by the cellar master. The suspects are said to have come up with the idea of identifying a large quantity of impeccable beer as broken and keeping it for themselves. Since it was soon no longer a matter of a few boxes but of whole pallets, it was necessary for several people to work together. Forklift drivers, cellar masters, hall managers and self-service shop employees had to participate so that the goods could be sold outside the home.
The matter was finally blown up by an anonymous ad. The accused partially confessed but denied the large amounts charged. One of the main perpetrators, who worked as an “organizational hub” and, according to the prosecutor, “had to look the other way”, is said to have embezzled around 50,000 euros. “They are responsible for the total damage because they were responsible for everything that was taken out,” the judge said after the conclusion of the evidentiary proceedings. “Yes, unfortunately,” the man sighed.
The verdict was expected in the afternoon.
Source: Nachrichten
