With deliberate accidents, eight people are said to have stolen 60,000 euros from insurance companies. The case will be heard on Wednesday at the Trier district court. But there is a problem with the statute of limitations.
The eight defendants are accused of having faked nine accidents in and around Trier in order to then report them to the insurance companies. They should regulate the damage to them. In this way, according to the indictment, the defendants wrongly received 60,000 euros from the insurance companies.
Accidents were planned beforehand
In order for everything to look as real as possible, the accused are said to have discussed the accidents with one another, according to the public prosecutor. For example, one of the defendants switched from the left to the right lane in one of the accidents on the motorway between Trier and Luxembourg. He then damaged the car of another defendant. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the accident was previously agreed between the two of them. Both would then have reported it to their insurance company and pocketed the money for the damage.
Even bystanders involved
According to the regional court, the defendants also involved other unsuspecting drivers in the accidents. In an accident on the banks of the Moselle in Trier, one of the accused is said to have suddenly changed lanes and then stopped for no reason. An uninvolved car driver could no longer brake and drove up.
Insurance companies didn’t pay for everything
In a total of five cases, the insurance companies settled the respective damage. According to the public prosecutor’s office, 60,000 euros are said to have been paid. In four other cases, the insurance companies refused to pay for the damage.
The police discovered the defendants during an accident recording. One of the officers found abnormalities and investigated further into the case. Finally, the suspicion of insurance fraud was confirmed.
Actions are a long time ago
Some of the bogus accidents already occurred in 2005. Therefore, the court must now clarify whether the allegations are possibly already statute-barred. The prosecution brought charges in 2011. A court spokeswoman justified the late trial date with the heavy use of the Trier criminal chambers and the pandemic situation. Priority would then have to be given to cases in which the accused are in custody.
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