Two Belgians face trial in Poland for Auschwitz theft

The infamous iron sign over the gate to the Auschwitz memorial site with the cynical phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei", German for "Work Sets You Free".

WARSAW (AFP).- Two Belgians risk up to a decade behind bars in Poland if found guilty of stealing parts of an electric fence from the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp, Polish prosecutors said Monday. The trial of the two men is set to open in the southern Polish city of Krakow on February 28. The two fifty-year-olds, identified only as Yann P.-B. and William H., were detained last July as they tried to remove three porcelain electrical isolators. Although charged, they were not arrested, prosecutors in Oswiecim, where the camp is located, told AFP on Monday.

All objects at the former Nazi death camp, including its electric fence, are the property of the state museum on a site that is on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Several people have tried to make off with barbed wire while one particularly brazen gang walked out with the camp's infamous "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work makes you free") sign in 2009, sparking a global outcry. The mastermind of that theft, a Swedish neo-Nazi, was jailed for two-and-a-half years. Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a symbol of Nazi Germany's genocide of European Jews, one million of whom were killed at the camp from 1940 to 1945. More than 100,000 others including non-Jewish Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and anti-Nazi resistance fighters also died there, according to the museum. An estimated 232,000 of Auschwitz's victims were children.

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Spiderman' burglar Vjeran Tomic on trial over $100 million Paris art haul

Vjeran Tomic, the main suspect in the case of the 2010 theft of five masterpieces from the Paris Modern Art Museum, arrives to his trial on January 30, 2017 at the Court house in Paris. Three people are on trial over the 2010 theft of five masterpieces of Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Braque and Leger from the Paris Modern Art Museum. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP.

PARIS (AFP).- A burglar dubbed "Spiderman", notorious for daring acrobatic heists, went on trial Monday for a $100-million art heist in 2010 that saw works by Picasso and Matisse stolen from a Paris gallery. Vjeran Tomic, a balding 49-year-old who is a skilled rock climber, arrived in a blue overcoat and sweatshirt for his trial in Paris where he faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted of the robbery. He admitted to carrying out the heist after being arrested in May 2011 and compared himself to a famed thief from French literature as he spoke to reporters on Monday. "What role did I have? Arsene Lupin," he told reporters with a smile, referring to the sly but charming character who ransacked rich Parisians' homes in stories first published at the start of the 20th century.

Tomic and two alleged accomplices have been charged over the May 2010 robbery at the Modern Art Museum of five paintings by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Ferdinand Leger and Amedeo Modigliani. All the artworks are still missing. Tomic is suspected of cutting through a padlocked gate and breaking a window to get into the gallery, one of the most-visited museums in Paris on the banks of the Seine. The museum's alarms had been awaiting repair for several weeks and Tomic is alleged to have somehow knocked out a security camera. Three guards were on duty that night, but the paintings were only found to be missing from their frames just as the museum prepared to open to the public the next day.

When police arrested the Serb in May 2011, Tomic told them he had initially broken into the museum for Leger's "Still Life with Candlestick" from 1922, not thinking he would also be able to steal another four. Besides the Leger canvas, the other works stolen were Picasso's cubist "Dove with Green Peas" from 1912 -- alone worth an estimated 25 million euros ($26.8 million) -- French contemporary Matisse's "Pastoral" from 1905, Braque's "Olive Tree near Estaque" from 1906, and Modigliani's "Woman with a Fan" from 1919. All but the Modigliani were hung in the same room in the museum, located in the well-heeled 16th district of Paris, which is run by the city and is home to more than 8,000 works of 20th-century art.

'Liked' paintings Tomic, who has a long criminal record of 14 previous offences, said he took them all because he "liked" the paintings. Authorities put the total value of the haul at 100 million euros ($107 million), but some experts said they were worth twice that, while admitting it would be impossible to sell such artworks on the open market. The presiding judge at the trial on Monday, Peimane Ghaleh-Marzban, said the value of the masterworks was "far higher than their market value." They have still not been recovered.

Ghaleh-Marzban also criticised the security "failures" which enabled the heist to be carried out with "disconcerting ease." The defendants face a 10-year jail term if convicted for the theft or re-sale of the artworks, but Tomic's sentence could be double that given his criminal record. Athletically built and 1.90 metres (6 foot 2 inches) tall, he earned his nickname for clambering into posh Parisian apartments and museums to steal valuable gems and works of art. Prosecutors claim he was spotted by a homeless man as he roamed around the museum in the days leading to the theft. Police arrested him after receiving an anonymous tip and tracking his mobile phone. Surveillance cameras from the night of the heist recorded only one person entering through a window who could not be identified.

An art dealer who admitted to having the paintings for a short time said he dumped them in a garbage can, which authorities do not believe. International police body Interpol put out an alert to its 188 member countries in the hope of recovering the five paintings, but so far they all remain missing. There has been a spate of art thefts in Europe in recent years. The most recent, in 2015, involved the theft of five paintings worth 25 million euros by renowned British artist Francis Bacon in Madrid. Spanish police arrested seven people last year suspected of being involved in that theft.

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Over 3,500 stolen ancient treasures recovered in Europol crackdown

Dubbed Operation Pandora, the crackdown took place last October and November, leading to the recovery of 3,561 pieces and 75 arrests. Photo: Guardia Civil.

THE HAGUE (AFP).- Police from 18 countries recovered over 3,500 stolen works of art and ancient artefacts of "great cultural importance" in a joint operation last year, the European police agency said Monday. The haul included a marble Ottoman tombstone, a post-Byzantine icon depicting Saint George and hundreds of coins, Europol said.

Dubbed Operation Pandora, the crackdown took place last October and November, leading to the recovery of 3,561 pieces and 75 arrests. Officials told AFP that it was hard to put a total value on the haul, as experts had yet to appraise it. "Several of the retrieved artefacts are of great cultural importance in the archaeological world," the agency, based in The Hague, said in a statement.

Around 500 objects were uncovered in Murcia, southeastern Spain, including 19 coins which had been stolen from the city's Archaeological Museum in 2014. The operation was led by Spanish and Cypriot police who carried out checks on more than 48,500 people, some 50 ships and over 29,000 vehicles. Police carried out inspections of internet sites and art galleries and at checkpoints in their hunt for illicit artefacts, and even searched scuba-diving schools for items plundered from underwater sites.

In Cyprus, 40 ancient objects were found at the post office in Larnaca, close to where the Mediterranean island's main airport is based, Cypriot police said in a statement. "All airports, post offices and checkpoints to and from" northern Turkish-held areas were monitored and there were also "intensified police patrols at sensitive archaeological sites," the Cypriot police added. "From a total of 44 searches conducted in homes and premises throughout Cyprus, 1,383 artefacts and 13 metal detectors were found and seized," they added.

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South Korea minister resigns after arrest over arts blacklist

South Korea's former culture minister, Cho Yoon-Sun (C), is escorted by police following her arrest in Seoul on January 21, 2017. South Korea's culture minister resigned on January 21 after being arrested for allegedly creating a "blacklist" of nearly 10,000 artists who voiced criticism of impeached President Park Geun-Hye. yonhap / AFP. by Park Chan-Kyong

SEOUL (AFP).- South Korea's culture minister resigned after being arrested Saturday for allegedly creating a "blacklist" of nearly 10,000 artists who voiced criticism of impeached President Park Geun-Hye. Cho Yoon-Sun, who is the first minister in active service to be arrested in South Korea, is accused of creating the vast catalogue to starve the artists of government subsidies and private investments and place them under state surveillance. The list's existence has sparked widespread anger, raising the spectre of Seoul's 1960-80s army-backed rule -- including under dictator Park Chung-Hee, the impeached leader's late father -- when the news, arts and entertainment were heavily censored.

Shortly after her arrest, Cho tendered her resignation to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn, a spokesman for the prime minister's office said. The Seoul Central District Court had issued a warrant to arrest Cho on charges of abuse of authority and perjury following a request from prosecutors. Cho, 50, known as "Park's Cinderella", is a staunch loyalist of the impeached president and previously served as the minister for gender equality.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for Kim Ki-Choon, a powerful former chief of staff for Park. Kim is accused of ordering Cho to create the list of "left-leaning" artists. Kim, 78, a former top intelligence official, came under fire for his alleged involvement in human rights abuses committed under Park's father. "Charges are verified... and there are risks of the accused seeking to destroy evidence", a court judge said in a statement issuing the warrants for Cho and Kim. Some Korean media reports have alleged that Park asked for the blacklist to be drawn up, while others said she approved it.

Prosecutors questioned Cho and Kim as part of their probe into a wider political scandal involving Park and her confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, who is currently on trial for abuse of power and coercion. Park stands accused of colluding with Choi to coerce top local firms including Samsung to "donate" nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations Choi later used for personal gain. She is also accused of letting Choi, who has no title or security clearance, meddle in a wide range of state affairs including nomination of senior officials. Park was impeached by parliament last month and Seoul's Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the validity of the motion, with the frequency of hearings sparking speculation that it might reach a verdict before mid-March.

Big names blacklisted The scandal has already seen more than a dozen former senior officials and presidential aides arrested. But the Seoul Central District Court this week rejected a prosecution request for the arrest of Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong -- who is accused of bribing Choi in a bid to seek governmental favours -- citing lack of evidence. The scandal has brought huge numbers of protesters onto the streets every Saturday over the past three months, urging the Constitutional Court to verify Park's impeachment and her immediate departure from office. Protestors, whose number was estimated at 150,000 by organisers, braved icy weather and slippery roads for a rally in Seoul Saturday, demanding Park's removal and the arrest of Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong, accused of being involved in the bribery scandal.

The blacklist reads like a Who's Who of Seoul's art scene. Among the names are novelist Han Kang, winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, and "Oldboy" film director Park Chan-Wook, who won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival in 2004. Many artists on the list had voiced support for opposition parties, or criticised or satirised the administration of Park or of her late father, who ruled from 1961 to 1979.



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Italy to return stolen Van Goghs to Dutch museum soon

This file photo taken on September 30, 2016 shows an Italian policeman standing next to next to one of two recently recovered stolen paintings by late Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh entitled "The Beach At Scheveningen During A Storm" (R) in Naples. Two Van Gogh masterpieces stolen in Amsterdam 14 years ago will be returning to The Netherlands from Italy shortly after police recovered them from the house of notorious drug boss, a museum official said on January 19, 2017.The 1882 "Seascape at Scheveningen" and the 1884/5 "Congregation leaving the Reformed Church at Nuenen" will soon be on their way after an Italian judge cleared their return, Van Gogh Museum director Axel Rueger said. MARIO LAPORTA / AFP.

THE HAGUE (AFP).- Two Van Gogh masterpieces stolen in Amsterdam 14 years ago will be returning to The Netherlands from Italy shortly after police recovered them from the house of notorious drug boss, a museum official said Thursday. The 1882 "Seascape at Scheveningen" and the 1884/5 "Congregation leaving the Reformed Church at Nuenen" will soon be on their way after an Italian judge cleared their return, Van Gogh Museum director Axel Rueger said. "We've just heard that the judge has ordered the release of the two recovered Van Goghs," Rueger said in a statement issued in Amsterdam. "The two canvasses will be formally handed over in the near future. Precise date hasn't been fixed yet, but it's expected to happen quickly," he said.

Italian investigators in late September raided a home belonging to infamous drug baron Raffaele Imperiale, who was arrested 10 years ago at the same location at Castellammare di Stabia, some 34 kilometres (21 miles) southeast of Naples. The area is a notorious hotspot for Neapolitan mafia activity. The two paintings -- which have since been confirmed as authentic and are worth millions -- were stolen in a daring raid in 2002 by thieves using a simple ladder and a length of rope. The criminals broke into the museum in downtown Amsterdam on December 7 that year using the ladder to climb onto the roof, where they broke through a window and used a rope to get in and out of the heavily fortified building. The daring heist left Dutch police flabbergasted at the time.

Despite launching an international manhunt, the paintings' whereabouts were unknown until being recovered in the Naples area, the Van Gogh Museum said. "It is excellent news that the paintings will shortly be returning to the Netherlands," Dutch Culture Minister Jet Bussemaker said. "Everyone, both young and old, should soon be able to enjoy these works again at the Van Gogh Museum," she said. Italian media at the time of the recovery reported that Imperiale, who belongs to the Amato-Pagana clan, is believed to have subsequently fled to Dubai, where he owns a construction company. A new arrest warrant was issued against him last year.

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Art dynasty heir Guy Wildenstein cleared of tax fraud!

Art dealer and other family members were accused of concealing paintings and properties worth hundreds of millions of euros

French collector and dealer Guy Wildenstein arrives at the Paris court on January 4, 2016 before his trial for tax evasion and money laundering. (Image: © AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD / AFP / ALAIN JOCARD/Getty Images)

Guy Wildenstein, the principal heir of one of the biggest art dealing dynasties in the world, has been cleared of tax fraud and money laundering by the Paris criminal court today (12 January). Wildenstein and seven other co-defendants had been accused of hiding paintings and properties worth hundreds of millions of euros from the French taxman.

The presiding judge Olivier Geron said there had been a “clear attempt” at concealment, according to the BBC. But shortcomings in the investigation and French tax fraud legislation meant it was impossible for Geron to return a guilty verdict for any of the accused.

Wildenstein and other members of his family were charged with having hidden the majority of a fortune estimated at several billion euros thanks to a sophisticated web of trusts and tax havens. The month-long trial last year offered a glimpse into the often opaque art world, shining a spotlight on how the Franco-American family handled its assets, including an art collection of more than 2,500 works, following the death of Guy Wildenstein’s father Daniel in 2001 and his brother, Alec, in 2008.

The defence case focused on the legal uncertainty around the financial trusts in which the Wildensteins registered their assets. The rule that requires such trusts to be declared only came into effect in 2011, years after the deaths of Daniel and Alec. Lawyers for the Wildensteins also argued that the assets held by trusts did not legally belong to Daniel Wildenstein, and so did not need to be declared by the family when settling the estate tax.

Prosecutors had requested a four-year prison sentence and a hefty fine of €250m for Guy Wildenstein, which could have had far-reaching repercussions for the art market if he had been forced to sell parts of his collection swiftly to pay the penalty.

by ANNY SHAW | 12 January 2017 http://theartnewspaper.com/news/art-dynasty-heir-guy-wildenstein-cleared-of-tax-fraud/