One hundred witnesses have now given evidence in the court case against five defendants formerly connected with the “Jewish Restitution Bank” here, the name of which was later changed to “Jewish Bank for Trade and Industry,” The changes are participation in, or being accessories to, violations of German foreign-currency laws and fraudulent bankruptcy.
The trial, which began last fall, is drawing to an end. The prosecution and the defense are expected to sum up their cases in July. The verdict will probably not be handed down before August. The most important testimony yet to be heard will be in the form of a deposition before a Swiss court by Baron Alex von Goldschmidt-Roths-child, a collateral descendant of the Rothschild banking family.
Three years ago he had been invited by Joseph Klibansky, the financial institution’s legal adviser and now a co-defendant, to take over the management of the Bank. Baron von Goldschmidt-Rothschild was willing and negotiations about his proposed investment were far advanced when the State of Hesse stepped in and closed the Bank by executive fiat amid sensational publicity about huge defalcations. These allegations have been completely discredited in the course of the trial.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
