Overview
- Thursday’s 30th hearing day was called off due to an illness, with the court saying proceedings will resume on Monday, January 19.
- Testimony was postponed for three witnesses: a bank employee, a longtime secretary in Eugen Block’s office, and a criminal investigator involved in the early probe.
- Keren T., known under the aliases “Doris White” and “Olga,” was questioned by prosecutors on January 8 and 12 and is no longer considered a fugitive under safe conduct.
- Reporting cites justice documents and WhatsApp chats suggesting family lawyer Dr. Andreas Costard arranged hotel rooms and a conference room for the Israelis, though his counsel declined comment and the claims remain under examination.
- Crown witness David Barkay has testified about roughly €200,000 in cash allegedly handed to the kidnappers by the family lawyer, while hotel witnesses described months of free stays under false names that investigators say caused losses of about €200,000.