Brussels Diamond Heist Trial: Key Suspect Denies Involvement in $50 Million Airport Robbery

The justice system is trying to determine the responsibility of four defendants and perhaps finally lift some of the gray areas of the crime of the century. Four defendants Houssein B., Abdellah F., Nordine E.H. and Tarek B. should all appear before the Brussels Court of Appeal on January 9, 11, 16 and 17, 2023. At the bar, Houssein B. whom the court president questioned about his links with Frenchman Marc Bertoldi, the only one to have been convicted for this unprecedented robbery. Suspected of having been the mastermind of the theft, he had only been found guilty of having disposed of the stolen jewelry, of which only a part was recovered. The defendant "contests any involvement" in the robbery, reports Belga.

The facts date back to February 18, 2013. Eight masked and armed individuals arrive on the tarmac of Brussels Airport in Zaventem and approach a Swiss airline plane, in which a valuable cargo was being transported by the security company Brink’s. They steal 121 packages containing diamonds, but also gold ingots and precious stones, for a total of 37 million euros.

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In total, 18 individuals had been arrested and brought before the Brussels Criminal Court in May 2018. They will all be acquitted, for lack of evidence. "The elements are not precise and consistent enough to establish the guilt of the defendants," the court had ruled. The prosecution immediately appealed. In 2020, the prosecutor gave up prosecuting 14 of the 18 defendants, after additional investigative duties that did not provide new evidence incriminating them. The trial continues on Wednesday.