Chopard theft trial: a "very daring" robbery

The theft committed in a Chopard jewelry store in Paris in December 2015 was "

", close to the Elysee Palace and in a state of emergency, estimated Friday, January 7 an investigator at the trial of the alleged perpetrators.

On December 11, 2015, a few weeks after the November 13 attacks, watches and jewelry worth around one million euros were stolen from this jeweler's shop, at 72 rue du Faubourg-Saint- Honored.

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“

, ”explained to the Paris Assize Court a former investigator in the Banditry Repression Brigade at the material time.

Eight people have been tried since Tuesday before this court, including two in their absence.

They are accused of having participated, to varying degrees, in this robbery, in another clerk in May 2016 in a Chanel store, as well as in the theft of an unmarked vehicle for transporting funds and luxury cars.

Two other men, who could not appear on the first day of hearing because they were positive for Covid-19, will be tried later.

They are indicted for theft in an organized gang with weapons, criminal conspiracy and concealment of theft in an organized gang.

90 watches and jewels stolen in 9 minutes

On the video surveillance images broadcast to the audience, a man wearing a beret, glasses and a transparent latex mask distorting his features, appears alone at the door of the Chopard store. It is a “

”, which does not have “

", And no security guard was present during the events, details the former investigator, who has now left the police. Once entered, the criminal exhibits a handgun and has the windows opened by the two employees after having threatened them. In nine minutes, he steals nearly 90 watches and jewelry, worth around a million euros on resale, according to the prosecution. Loot that has never been found. The man then leaves on foot before, according to the prosecution, to join a vehicle parked nearby where an accomplice awaits him.

No fingerprint or DNA trace is identified in the shop, but "

" are spotted in the neighborhood via video surveillance, and the cameras located on Place Beauvau, in front of the Interior Ministry, make it possible to distinguish their plates, recalls the investigator.

One of these cars can be traced back to the car garage of Mebareck Oumeddah, suspected of having provided false license plates to robbers and in telephone contact with Philippe Enriquez, described by investigators as "

" .

Read alsoChopard and Chanel store raids: the trial returned for two defendants, positive for Covid-19

“

"because at the time, the cameras of the city of Paris were"

"as today, underlines the investigator.

During more than four hours of testimony, the defense lawyers focused on dismantling the links described by the investigator to link their clients to the investigation. "

", One of the three vehicles spotted, questions Mebareck Oumeddah's lawyer, Romain Boulet. “

,” admits the investigator. Regarding a fleet of seven prepaid telephones with successive chip numbers, which had only been used twice, on December 8 and 11, 2015, lawyer Grégory Bensadoun underlined a doubt: “

”. One of the devices was found at the home of David Cruz, who did not appear at trial."

”, affirms the council of the latter, Me Serge Money, after having dissected the telephone analyzes which appear in the file. The hearing continued on Friday afternoon with the hearing of the two employees of the Chopard store.