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Three helicopter heist suspects released

Three of the men charged for their role in the helicopter-aided robbery of a Stockholm-area cash depot last September were released today by Södertörn district court.

Three helicopter heist suspects released

Two of the men are charged for blocking roads near the G4S cash depot in Västberga, south of Stockholm.

The third suspect is charged with having planted fake bombs near a police heliport in Myttinge on the island of Värmdö.

Prosecutors had asked that the men each be sentenced to ten years in prison, but the men’s release is an indication that they may be acquitted of the charges.

Defence attorney Lars Engstrand defended one of the men who is suspected of having place chains on the streets around the depot.

During deliberations on Thursday, the court concluded that the reasons keeping the men remanded in custody were no longer existed, Engstrand’s client was released.

“I’d interpret this as meaning that the suspicions have diminished to such an extent that there is a lot of indicate he’s going to be acquitted,” Engstrand told the TT news agency.

His client is charged with aggravated robbery and prosecutors had urged the court to sentence the man to ten years behind bars.

“He’s quite relieved, I just spoke with him,” said Engstrand.

Attorney Björn Lagerling is defending a 24-year-old man who is accused of sabotaging the police response by planting fake bombs near the police’s helicopter hangar.

Lagerling is satisfied with the decision and believes there is much to indicate that his client will be acquitted.

The 24-year-old is charged with aggravated robbery which carries a minimum prison sentence of four years.

If a crime has a minimum sentence of at least two years, a suspected can be remanded to custody if the court believes the evidence is strong.

The fact that the man was released indicates that the suspicions are considered weak.

According to his attorney, the man had not yet heard the news of his release as of late Thursday afternoon.

“The family is really happy; we’re naturally pleased with the news,” said Lagerling.

Attorney Göran Helmer is defending the 31-year-ikd man accused of having to block off a number of roads near the cash depot during the robbery.

Chains laced with crow’s feet were laid out across the street.

Helmer thinks the court was right to release his client and believes the release means his client won’t be convicted.

“I spoke with him as soon as I got the news. He and his family are overjoyed and he’s home with his wife right now,” said Helmer.

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COST OF LIVING

Could coronavirus end Austria’s love affair with cash?

Along with the rest of German-speaking Europe, cash payments have remained stubbornly popular in Austria. But with card payments on the rise due to the pandemic, could that be set to change permanently?

Could coronavirus end Austria’s love affair with cash?
Austria loves cash, but will the pandemic change all that? Photo: ALEX HALADA / AFP

Unlike Scandinavia, the Benelux countries or the British Isles, German-speaking Europe remains keen on cash. 

For a number of historical reasons, cash is still king in Austria, Germany and much of Switzerland – or at least until the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Austria loves cash so much that it tried to make a right to cash payments part of the constitution in 2019. 

READ MORE: Austria's love of cash in poll campaign spotlight 

While the effort ultimately failed, it showed just how much Austria loves that cold, hard stuff. 

A pre-pandemic study showed that Austria are the kings of cash, with 83 percent of Austrians using cash regularly, compared with 75 percent of Germans and 71 percent of Swiss. 

This is compared with card leaders such as Sweden, where cash is expected to disappear completely by 2030. 

The number of domestic card payments increased by 20 percent in 2020 in Austria, rising from 900 million payments to 1.1 billion, according to Payment Services Austria (PSA). 

In the same period, foreign card transactions also increased in Austria in 2020, crossing the 1.2 billion mark for the first time. 

Contactless and mobile payments are also experiencing a dramatic rise in Austria. 

Similar trends have been observed in Germany and Switzerland, leading many to ask whether the shift is set to become permanent. 

Money, cash, woes?

Concerns over the cleanliness of cash and a desire to avoid trips to the ATM have been flagged as a major reason for the change. 

The number of cash withdrawals from ATMs in Austria fell significantly, from 137 million to 100 million in 2020. 

Contactless payments increased by 34 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, according to PSA. 

READ MORE: Could coronavirus end the Swiss love affair with cash? 

In March 2020, Austria also made it easier to pay with contactless cards by increasing the maximum amount to be paid without entering a pin from €25 to €50. 

Retailers pushed for the change in a bid to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission and the limit looks to remain in place for the foreseeable future. 

According to the PSA, the card is here to stay, even when and if life returns to normal after the pandemic. 

Harald Flatscher, Managing Director of PSA, said “the steady upward trend also shows how much the use of the card has become part of people's everyday lives.”

A permanent shift to card?

There are however signs that the trends might be temporary. 

While 2020 saw an increase in card payments, it actually saw a decrease in the amount spent overall, which could amount to a temporary trend. 

Another big change is the lack of tourist traffic, making it hard to determine if any shift is actually permanent.  

READ MORE: Will the coronavirus pandemic speed up the end of cash in Germany? 

Writing in Austria’s Der Standard on Wednesday, January 27th, Muzayen Al-Youssef outlined the concerns of many Austrians when pointing to the traceability of card. 

“Transparency also has consequences. Think, for example, of so-called credit scoring, in which the creditworthiness of a customer is calculated based on the available data,” he said.

“If you drink too much alcohol, in extreme cases you could suddenly no longer finance your own apartment.

“Does a bank really always have to know when – and, by the way, where – its customers bought sex toys, alcohol or cigarettes?”

 

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