Four men from northern Germany, accused of gang theft in the high-profile burglary of Celtic gold from a Bavarian museum, are set to receive their judgments on Tuesday.

The defendants stand accused of breaking into the Celtic-Roman Museum in Manching on the night of November 22, 2022, and stealing hundreds of 2,100-year-old Celtic gold coins in a matter of minutes.

More than 3.7 kilogrammes of gold were taken, most of which remain missing. Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences ranging from six and a half to twelve years.

The defence, however, maintains the men’s innocence and is calling for their acquittal. The main defendant is a 48-year-old man from Plate, near the city of Schwerin.

His co-defendants include two Schwerin residents, aged 44 and 52, and a 45-year-old man from Berlin, who was found carrying several small gold nuggets at the time of his arrest. The nuggets are believed to be melted-down coins from the museum.

All four men have remained silent throughout the trial, which began in January at the Ingolstadt Regional Court.

The stolen treasure included 483 coins and a larger gold nugget. The hoard, discovered by archaeologists during excavations in Manching in 1999, is considered the largest Celtic gold find of the 20th century.

While the public prosecutor’s office values the haul at approximately €1.5 million ($1.7 million), experts say its historical and cultural significance is immeasurable.

Investigators believe the suspects first disabled the town’s telecommunications network to shut down the museum’s alarm system. They then broke into the building and, within minutes, opened the display case and emptied its contents.

(dpa/NAN)