In the trial against two former executives of the insolvent gold dealer PIM from southern Hesse, the witness, who started the whole process with his complaint, refused to testify.
"There are several criminal investigations pending against him," quoted attorney Marcus Traut from the grounds of the 62-year-old man.
The appearance of the witness before the Darmstadt district court lasted less than five minutes on Thursday.
He's filing a criminal complaint and now won't say another word, criticized Traut.
“That is significant.
That should give the Chamber and the aldermen something to think about. "
PIM Gold GmbH is said to have concluded supply contracts with customers between 2016 and September 2019, including bonus promises for gold, but then failed to fulfill them.
Interest is said to have been paid out to newly recruited customers according to a kind of pyramid scheme.
The 50-year-old former managing director and the 53-year-old head of the sales company of the gold dealer from the Hessian Heusenstamm are accused of serious fraud.
If convicted, they face long prison terms.
In February, thousands of investors had received an initial down payment from the insolvency administrator Renald Metoja. According to his earlier information, more than 7,000 creditors had filed claims totaling 180 million euros. During a search, 560 kilograms of gold and jewelry were found.