Value of Belgian Diamond Heist May Have Been Higher
June 13, 13
The Brussels prosecutor's spokeswoman Anja Bijnens said Thursday that Moroccan investigators cooperating in the probe have said that the booty was "much bigger than originally anticipated".
The De Morgen newspaper said the Moroccan investigators placed the total at 300 million euros ($400 million), but Bijnens would not confirm the figure.
The Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) said the figures were as originally stated, however.
"The value of the diamonds that were stolen in Zaventem [Brussels airport] are well and truly $50 million," spokeswoman Caroline De Wolf said. "Those figures have been confirmed to us the same day by police, transporters, the insurance companies � and they were checked by customs."
Belgian authorities recently visited counterparts in Morocco. Seven suspects remain in jail in Belgium and another with links to Morocco is behind bars in Metz, France. There are reports part of the loot ended up in Morocco and Switzerland.