Press Release

Precious metals theft: Verdict announced at Hamburg District Court

The verdict was announced in the Hamburg District Court today in the Aurubis precious metals theft trial. Judges sentenced the main defendant to five years and ten months, while the former Aurubis employee indicted received a judgment of three years and six months in prison. All other co-defendants were given penalties of up to four years. Judges also set damages amounting to approx. € 10 million for the time of the offence in question, which occurred in 2020.

Aurubis CEO Roland Harings emphasized: “We welcome this clear and consistent action from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the judiciary against this case of organized crime. The partly long sentences reflect the severity of the crimes and are sure to act as a deterrent to potential copycats in the future. The police and Public Prosecutor’s Office had our complete support. It was also important to us to identify the underlying structures and shot callers.”

As a company active in multiple stages of precious metal processing, Aurubis is at an ongoing risk of being targeted by criminals. The company has taken these incidents as an opportunity for another thorough review and improvement of its prevention and security standards. To forcefully tackle the dynamic development of organized crime, Aurubis implemented far-reaching immediate measures to significantly boost security once again. The company is also ramping up additional long-term security measures that will reduce the threat of theft and fraud in the future.

Aurubis is building a new security area at its Hamburg plant that will integrate the entire precious metals processing chain. The Precious Metals Refinery project in Hamburg is an important investment in the security in precious metals recovery at Aurubis.

Aurubis reported having been the target of criminal activities in June 2023. The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Hamburg Police Department investigated the involvement of former and active Aurubis employees, along with employees of contractors working on the Aurubis factory premises.