RAPAPORT... The Antwerp branch of ABN AMRO was recently robbed of more than $28 million in cut and uncut diamonds from the bank’s safety deposit boxes. A reward of more than $2 million is being offered for information on the theft.
News of the heist wasn’t released by police until March 12, one week after the crime occurred. The suspect was the last person to visit the vault on Friday, March 2, and the first to enter on Monday, March 5, according to the local prosecutor’s office. But it is not clear on which of those days the burglary occurred.
Bound by the investigation secrecy in such a matter, Loet Kniphorst of ABN AMRO Antwerp said, “I can only confirm that, to my knowledge, the information released by the police is accurate.”
CAREFULLY PLANNEDAccording to the police, the thief reportedly used a stolen Argentinian passport to create a false identity. Living in Antwerp for an entire year, he was able to establish himself as diamond trader Carlos Hector Flomenbaum. He became a trusted bank customer, gaining access to the vaults where the missing 120,000 carats of diamonds were stored. The false identity was uncovered only after the robbery. The news broke when police discovered that a passport in the name of Flomenbaum was reported stolen in Israel several years ago. In effect, no one knows either the name or the national identity of the thief.
SECURITY CONCERNS“The stolen diamonds were owned by eight Antwerp-based diamond trading companies and given as a pledge to bank loans,” says Philip Claes, Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) spokesman. “Among the diamonds stolen was a 133-carat uncut diamond, which would be very difficult to sell in the market. The stolen gems also include 41 blue-colored brilliants and two naturally green-colored, pear-shaped gems.”
Claes explained that “A letter describing as many stones as possible has been released to all 25 diamond exchanges, recommending strongly that they forward the information to all their members, which should help in reducing the options available for the thief to dispose of the goods in the pipeline.”
Security, of course, is an important issue for the diamond trading community. Claes points out that it is a subject that is taken very seriously. “We have made a lot of effort during the last years, since 2005 actually, to improve security and to reinforce security measures in the Antwerp diamond square mile. We’re talking about a 1 million euro [$1.3 million] investment over the past year, and half a million euro [$665,000] this year. What we’ve already been doing and will continue to do will be to put more cameras in the streets, better gateway controls at the entrances, with full scanning of vehicles, as well as to erect alarm poles outfitted with alarm buttons.
“Very soon, a new integrated badge system for the entire diamond community will be implemented.”
In the wake of the heist, members of the Antwerp diamond community say they are anxious to have the AWDC security measures completed as soon as possible.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - April 2007. To subscribe click here.