Overview

• The Hamburg Regional Court sentenced a former Aurubis material inspector to six years in prison for fraud, corruption, and tax evasion.
• A scrap dealer received a five-year prison sentence, while his son was sentenced to two and a half years for aiding and abetting the scheme.
• The defendants manipulated scrap samples by adding gold and silver powder to inflate the value of materials sold to Aurubis between 2012 and 2016.
• Aurubis, a leading copper producer, suffered financial damages exceeding €15 million due to the fraudulent scheme.
• The case highlights significant vulnerabilities in procurement oversight and sample testing within the metals industry.