Kardashian, now 44 – who left Paris traumatised hours after the robbery on the night of October 2-3, 2016 – is due to testify at the trial on May 13 in a court appearance that will be a major event in itself.
Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records and underworld nicknames like “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes” that recall the old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s film noirs.
Kardashian, then 35, was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up with her mouth taped up. The theft was the biggest against a private individual in France in the past 20 years.
The trial will also go into how the perpetrators received the information as to where Kardashian was staying during Paris Fashion Week, and picked the very moment when her bodyguard was absent, accompanying her sister Kourtney to a nightclub.
It is thought Kardashian’s frequent posts about her wealth, personal life and whereabouts may have facilitated the perpetrators’ actions. The star was staying at an exclusive hotel in central Paris favoured by celebrities when two armed and masked men stormed into her room at around 3.00AM after arriving at the establishment by bicycle.
They shouted that they wanted the diamond engagement ring from her now ex-husband, the US rapper Kayne West.
Kardashian had been showing it off on her social media channels – it alone was valued at $4 million (3.5 million euros).
They made off with the ring among $10 million worth of jewels. The only item recovered was a diamond necklace dropped in the street while the thieves escaped.
It all lasted just 10 minutes, with Kardashian’s bodyguard arriving to rescue his client after he was alerted.
The suspects were arrested three months after the robbery, through DNA evidence.
But the gold seized was apparently melted down and investigators, who took hundreds of thousands of euros from the suspects when they were arrested, believe that much of the stolen haul was sold in Belgium.
Twelve suspects were charged, with 10 beginning trial from Monday. One died in March this year and another is to be tried separately for health reasons. The trial is due to last until May 23.