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Berlin (dpa / bb) - Because they are said to have been involved in fraud with a total damage of around 850,000 euros, two men are standing in front of the Berlin district court.
The 40 and 47 year old defendants are said to have acted as members of a gang.
According to the indictment, companies were set up to conceal criminal intentions and through these companies were obtained from other companies and not paid for.
The older defendant said at the start of the trial on Friday that he denied the allegations in principle.
The co-defendant's lawyer stated that his client was initially silent.
The alleged fraudsters are said to have ordered goods in around 30 cases between May and September 2017. In one case, building materials were not paid for 75,000 euros. According to the indictment, thousands of kilograms of cocoa powder were delivered to a company belonging to the group in other cases. For cocoa alone, bills amounting to almost 400,000 euros have not been paid. In addition, cheese for 35,000 euros, cleaning agents for 14,000 euros and several large paper deliveries were obtained and not paid for.
The 47-year-old further stated that he was "only drawn into machinations".
In one case, he was commissioned by an entrepreneur to pick up building materials.
A car and a telephone were made available to him.
Five to ten times he was instructed by one of his brothers, who bought and sold and who often stayed abroad, to withdraw money from a company account or to deposit sums.
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The charge is commercial and gang fraud.
Ten more days are scheduled for the trial until June 16.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210507-99-506903 / 2