Sydney jeweler Michel Germani accused of staging a robbery at his own store to stay behind bars despite his wife offering him higher bail
Extra money offered by the wife of a jailed Sydney jeweler accused of masterminding a robbery at his own store failed to secure his release.
Michel Elias Germani is accused of orchestrating a robbery at his eponymous jewelry store in Sydney’s CBD in January, telling police two men threatened him and his employee with a knife, tying them up and demanding access to a safe.
He has been in custody since his arrest in April, but returned to the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday to seek his release.
Michel Elias Germani (pictured left) was refused bail on Tuesday in the NSW Supreme Court. He is accused of organizing a theft in his jewelry store on January 19, 2023.
An offer of an ankle bracelet to monitor his movements, and more money to secure his future court appearances, were not enough to convince Judge Sarah McNaughton to grant him bail.
She said the money, most of which was $200,000 from an accountant “who barely knows him,” might have been enough in some cases, but not for an alleged theft involving more than $2 million. revenue dollars.
His wife had also offered $60,000, an increase of $10,000 since Germani requested bail in July.
“Given the allegations that she had knowledge of the offence, in my view she is not a suitable person to invest money of this nature,” the judge said.
Germani’s attorney, John Korn, disputed the prosecution’s allegation that his wife knew about it.
“This is a comment made by the officer in charge and there is no evidence to justify it,” he said.
He suggested other interpretations of the intercepted communications between Germani and his co-defendants, including that they involved property purchases and the operation of a legitimate jewelry business.
The judge said prosecutors had a strong case aside from alternative explanations.
Mr Germani told police two men threatened him and his employee with a knife, before tying them up and demanding access to a safe.
“The combination of the circumstantial evidence and the stated evidence shows me that the Crown’s case is very strong,” she said, refusing bail.
Disturbing allegations were also brought before the court that Germani deleted evidence from his phone before being arrested and may have links to organized crime groups and associations with people abroad, the court said. judge.
Although police say Germani and a number of others were involved in the theft, there is no indication that his young employee, who was allegedly threatened and tied to a chair, had anything to do with it.
Nearly $3 million worth of jewelry was allegedly stolen by thieves from a high-end Sydney store.
“The very idea of organizing a fake theft and causing extreme distress and worry to an employee shows that the plaintiff is capable, if proven, of conduct which gives the court no certainty that he would comply with his bail conditions,” Judge McNaughton said.
Germani appeared shocked at the refusal of bail, covering his mouth with his hands from an audio-visual link room at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Center in Sydney’s west.
