Jaquet SA Case To Be Heard In Swiss Court In September 2008

The infamous Jaquet Case--whose saga began in 2003 with the arrest of Jaquet SA head Jean-Pierre Jaquet on charges of armed robbery, forgery, hijacking and the trafficking of stolen watches--will move forward on September 1, 2008, the day hearings are scheduled to begin in a Neuchatel court.  Fifteen defendants will appear before the tribunal through October 3rd, accused of a wide array of offenses related to the theft and trafficking of watch products.

The 2003 arrest of Jean-Pierre Jaquet sent ripples of shock through the buttoned-down Swiss watch industry.  Jaquet, a respected businessman whose firm supplied specialized ETA-based movements to a range of luxury timepiece brands was arrested for suspected involvement in several regional thefts, including raw gold from a factory in Le Locle, and finished Rolex watch cases from the polishing firm of Miranda in La Chaux-de-Fonds, ostensibly for the creation of illegally assembled "true-false" counterfeit watches.  

Since that time, the web of intrigue has broadened, indicating the possibility of a broader degree of complicity.  Among the powerful plaintiffs in the Jaquet Case include Rolex and de Grisogono, as well the Richemont Group, owner of Cartier, Baume & Mercier, and other luxury watch brands.  Franck Muller and Ulysse Nardin, also named as plaintiffs in the case, have apparently withdrawn their complaint after some manner of private resolution.  

Although Jean-Pierre Jaquet remains a chief figure in the case, evidence seems to indicate his involvement may not be as great as that of the other three primary accused, which include a man suspected as being the primary organizer of the various robberies, and the boss of the above-mentioned Miranda firm, which was responsible for the stolen Rolex watch cases.   In all, there are 80 federal investigative documents related to the Jaquet case which comprise more than 15,000 pages.

Source: SDA/ATS