As the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold. In this case, however, it was clearly too glossy – at least in the eyes of the Brazilian authorities. With 61 purchased gold bars with a total value of about 1.4 million euros in their luggage, two American traders wanted to return home from Manaus airport.
The business partners would have had all legally required documents in their hands. What they didn’t know: the Brazilian seller was in the crosshairs of the secret service. He would deal in illegally mined precious metals. What should the investigation of the seized 61 bars prove. According to the trader, he bought the gold himself from a businessman: the Austrian Werner Rydl, who lives in Brazil.
Treasury defrauded with hundreds of millions of euros
As a reminder, around the turn of the millennium, he made headlines as public enemy number one. For years he had fooled the Austrian tax authorities and defrauded hundreds of millions of euros – until he fled to Brazil. Where he burned 167 million shillings (at the time the equivalent of just over 12.1 million euros) on the beach as a provocation (photo below).
After 17 years of flying, the cat-and-mouse game was over. The “Most Wanted” was extradited to Austria and sentenced. After his release, Rydl pledged in 2013 to settle the outstanding tax debt of 11.5 million euros with his five billion euros worth of gold that allegedly sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Forensic test by the authority is “nonsense”
And so he was allowed to leave the country. To date, not a penny has been returned to the finances. Especially since many experts considered his story to be a fairy tale anyway. To this day, at least 61 of his bars have appeared. According to Rydl (pictured above), it is not illegally mined gold, but molten jewelery he had bought. He thinks the purity test of the authorities is “nonsense”.
Either way, the gold bars continue to be seized, the Brazilian broker is still being investigated, and the American businessmen are fighting for compensation.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
