Spanish court sends Chinese businessman, art dealer and fraud suspect Gao Ping back to jail

MADRID (AFP).- A Spanish court ordered the return to prison on Tuesday of a Chinese art dealer suspected of leading a massive money-laundering gang in Spain pending his possible trial, judging him a flight risk. Gao Ping was arrested in October 2012 along with dozens of mostly Chinese suspects as part of a police investigation dubbed "Operation Emperor" but a court ordered him bailed the following month due to procedural irregularities relating to his detention. Spain's High Court, the country's top criminal court, ordered his return to jail on Tuesday because of the "sufficiently intense temptation" to flee the country and because of the serious nature of the crimes he is alleged to have committed. Spanish prosecutors suspect Gao of leading a gang that laundered up to 300,000 euros ($392,000) a year, dodged taxes, bribed officials and forged documents. Gao, reportedly from Zhejiang in northeastern China, owns art galleries in Madrid and Beijing plus businesses in Cobo Calleja, a huge Chinese trading estate in southern Madrid. Judges are due to decide at an unspecified date whether he will go on trial Police seized 10 million euros in cash as part of their operation as well as 200 cars, several guns, jewels and art works.
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One million euro stolen gold egg recovered near French-Swiss border during a routine roadblock

GRENOBLE (AFP).- A bejewelled golden egg stolen four years ago in Geneva and worth an estimated one million euros ($1.3 million) has been recovered by French police near the Swiss border, police said Monday. The precious egg, made in the style of the famous Faberge pieces, was discovered on Thursday in a "suspect" BMW pulled over during a routine roadblock near the Swiss border, driven by two Belarusian men who were promptly arrested. A third Belarusian, a Swiss resident, trailing in a Jaguar was pulled over and arrested a short while later, according to a police statement. Under questioning the three men unconvincingly claimed they had found the jewelled work of art lying on the ground, or had bought it cheaply in a flea-market, a French police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "They're not talking much. We have the impression we're dealing with a team tasked with transporting and negotiating the sale of the artwork," the official said. The three, aged between 24 and 38, were charged with receiving stolen goods and possessing a weapon. They were already sought in France and Switzerland for several burglaries. The egg, containing more than a kilogramme of gold and boasting hundreds of gems, was burgled in 2009 from a Kuwait import-export firm based in Geneva.
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