Has gold dealer PIM cheated thousands of customers? Investigators have been probing the question for two years. Now the bankruptcy administrator determines: The company is missing tons of gold.
A private detective, a lot of rumors and a lot of gold missing: the insolvency administrator of the southern Hesse gold dealer PIM has highlighted a huge discrepancy between the legitimate claims of creditors and what they actually discovered on Tuesday.
“There should have been about three tons,” said bankruptcy administrator Renald Metoja of the amount of gold during the trial against the two former owners before the Darmstadt district court. found after bankruptcy petition In 2019, about 270 kg of fine gold and about 180 kg of jewelry. There are so far reasonable and verifiable claims amounting to 140 million euros.
In proceedings going on since December, the 50-year-old managing director of PIM and the 53-year-old owner of the gold dealer’s pre-sale company has to answer for serious fraud. According to the prosecutor, the two men have yet to comment on the allegations. The former managing director of PIM is in custody.
“Not a Classic Bankruptcy Process”
According to the indictment, the company is said to have concluded supply contracts including bonus promises for hundreds of kilograms of gold with customers from 2016 to September 2019, but failed to fulfill them. The interest is said to have been paid through newly acquired customer funds according to a kind of pyramid scheme.
Metoza told the court about a confusing system of contracts, incomplete bookkeeping and missing documents. “It’s not a classic bankruptcy process.”
Up to 8,000 creditors are waiting for money
And the pursuit of company values isn’t over. A private detective is currently investigating rumors that PIM Gold GmbH in Heusenstamm may have employees. precious metals missing in his own pocket
Given the security measures at the site and the amount of gold said, it is quite possible that employees may have committed the theft, according to Metoja. If more money should come, 7,000 to 8,000 creditors can also expect another payment. With the initial payment, they received a 7.5 percent rate on established claims.
