A high-profile jeweller, his wife and three alleged bandits have denied orchestrating a major heist on a luxury city-centre store.
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Michel Germani, is accused of staging the robbery of his eponymous Sydney store in January 2022, during which a female employee was allegedly tied to a chair and threatened.
The 66-year-old appeared via a live-stream from custody when he pleaded not guilty to a string of charges in Downing Centre District Court on Friday.
He has been accused of robbery, participating in a criminal group, contributing to criminal activity and making false statements following the incident.
Germani's wife, Coco, pleaded not guilty to doing an act with the intention of perverting the course of justice.
One of the trio of alleged robbers, Mounir Helou, pleaded not guilty to dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and detaining a person in company with intent to obtain advantage.
He is accused of carrying out the robbery after posing as a customer and helping to restrain the employee.
Andrea David Cusumano and Giulia Penna, who face the same charges as Helou, also pleaded not guilty.
Judge Timothy Gartelmann agreed to a joint trial for the five people, which is scheduled to take place in May 2025.
Germani will remain in custody despite the year-long wait for his trial after being denied Supreme Court bail in March due in part to his wife's significant contacts in China, with which Australia does not have an extradition treaty.
Police were yet to recover more than 160 items - valued at a combined $2.8 million - that the jeweller told insurers were taken during the robbery, a court heard at the time.
He was refused bail despite the court previously being told the police case relied on statements by co-accused that had never eventuated.
They included an expected statement from Penna, who Germani allegedly recruited to organise the robbery.
While the crown case was predominantly circumstantial, it was also "very strong", a judge said at the time.
There was evidence of significant financial difficulties for Germani in the lead-up to the robbery, including a notice of default from Hilton Sydney about the lease on his store.
Australian Associated Press
