Sydney jeweler Michel Germani, accused of orchestrating a robbery at his own store, remains behind bars despite his wife offering more bail
More money offered by the wife of a jailed Sydney jeweler accused of orchestrating a robbery at his own store has failed to secure his release.
Michel Elias Germani is accused of masterminding 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 giving them access to a safe demanded.
He has been in custody since his arrest in April but returned to the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday to ask for release.
Michel Elias Germani (pictured left) was refused bail by the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday. He is accused of committing a robbery at his jewelry store on January 19, 2023
A proposed ankle monitor to track his movements, and more money to ensure 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 heist with proceeds of more than $2 million.
His wife had also offered $60,000, an increase of $10,000 since Germani filed for bail in July.
“Given the allegations that she has knowledge of the offense, in my opinion she is not the appropriate person to commit that kind of money,” the judge said.
Germani’s attorney John Korn disputed the prosecutor’s claim that his wife had any knowledge.
“That’s a comment from the commanding officer and there’s no material to back that up at all,” he said.
He suggested alternative interpretations of the intercepted communications between Germani and his co-defendants, including that they related to the purchase of real estate and the operation of legitimate jewelry stores.
The judge said prosecutors had a strong case that fell outside the alternative explanations.
Mr Germani told police that two men threatened him and his employee with a knife before allegedly tying them up and demanding access to a safe.
“The combination of the circumstantial evidence and the indicated evidence indicates that there is a very strong crown case,” she said, denying bail.
There were also disturbing allegations before the court that Germani had deleted evidence from his phone before his arrest and may have links to organized crime groups and links to people abroad, the judge said.
Although police allege that Germani and several others were involved in the robbery, there is no evidence that his young employee, who was allegedly threatened and tied to a chair, had anything to do with it.
The robbers are said to have stolen almost $3 million worth of jewelery from the luxury Sydney store
“The very idea of staging a false robbery and causing extreme distress and alarm to an employee demonstrates that the applicant is capable, if discovered, of engaging in conduct that does not give the court any confidence that he will grant bail will fulfill. circumstances,” Judge McNaughton said.
Germani appeared shocked by the bail refusal and covered his mouth with his hands from an audiovisual secondary room at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Center in Sydney’s west.