Thieves at Commerzbank: the alarm went off 3,089 times, but employees didn't react - "a disaster"

Created: 03/24/2022, 07:10

By: Andreas Thieme

Masked perpetrators gained access to Commerzbank, in the end 4.62 million euros were missing © archive

Scandal in the Munich Commerzbank: Masked thieves stole 4.62 million euros, but years later there is still no trace of the perpetrators and money.

Munich – This case is ready for film!

A gang of three thieves is said to have stolen a total of 4.62 million euros from Commerzbank.

But the regional court acquitted her yesterday - and there is no trace of the millions.

Judge Gilbert Wolf reprimanded blatant security problems in the branch on Promenadeplatz, for example, as “technically and mechanically significant deficiencies”.

Only then was it possible for two hooded men to get into the vault on three occasions in the winter of 2017/2018 - and leave it again with two filled suitcases.

"One can only wonder," said the judge.

Because the perpetrators had to pass several employees - and according to the court, they were masked.

Wolf scolded: "Nobody sees anything, nobody hears anything.

The behavior of the employees is incomprehensible to me.” In the end, the 4.62 million euros from four lockers were missing.

A rich Russian woman deposited the money in 2016.

The suspicion fell on the bank employee Silvia F. (60): She looked after the Russian and is said to have given a gang access to the safe with her insider knowledge.

But that could never be proven!

Even the public prosecutor demanded acquittal yesterday.

And the last three of the seven accused now even have to be compensated...

Munich: There were 3089 locker alarms in the bank – judge: “Nobody cared about that”

But what role did the bank play?

According to the court, there were 3089 locker alarms in the branch from December 2017 to March 2018 alone.

"No one cared about that there," wondered Wolf in the verdict.

Because next to the bank resides Munich's noble Italian restaurant on Promenadeplatz: "When they dance on the tables at H'ugos, the alarm goes off in the bank," said the judge.

Allegedly, there were so-called stray alarms.

They were then “simply deleted” by the security service in the morning.

Who the million thieves were has not been clarified to this day...   

Silvia F. (60) and her son Luca (32) were charged.

But they were acquitted by the regional court yesterday © SIGI JANTZ

Process in Munich: According to the court, Commerzbank "delayed and hindered investigations"

According to the verdict, Silvia F. and her son Luca (32) are not.

They beamed yesterday: "Finally acquitted!

The last four years have been hell.

That changed my life.

Silvia F. worked for the bank for 30 years and even sued the labor court after her dismissal – she now received a severance payment.

Her lawyer Sascha Petzold says: "My client should be made into a black sheep.

The fault lies with the bank and the police.” Judge Wolf even said: “Commerzbank has delayed and obstructed the investigation.” According to him, the rich Russian still has another 72 million euros in accounts with Munich Commerzbank, but there is apparently something about her no contact at all for a long time.

The Commerzbank branch on Promenadeplatz: This is where the theft of millions happened © Oliver Bodmer

Theft of millions in Munich: That's what Commerzbank says about the case

The bank does not want to comment on the customer, but only said at the request of our editors: "We take note of the verdict." A case like a thriller!

According to spokeswoman Renate Christ, behind the alarm messages are “predominantly technical events”.

"A message is triggered as soon as there is an operating error when unlocking the compartment.

The bank's reaction to each individual cause of the report is specifically defined." Christ asserts that the safe system is "checked and serviced several times a year" and that it "complied with the security regulations and the state of the art at all times." The court saw it differently... 

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