Art dealer Giuliano Ruffini, who sold fake paintings, arrested

The Franco-Italian art collector Giuliano Ruffini, wanted by French justice for having orchestrated for decades a very elaborate network of trafficking in fakes, including paintings attributed to great masters, surrendered Friday to the Italian police, announced his lawyer. Giuliano Ruffini , 77, is accused of deceiving museums, auction houses and private individuals by selling them paintings presented as the works of old masters, but which turned out to be fakes. He surrendered to police in Castelnovo nel Monti, a town in the Reggio Emilia region of central Italy, his lawyer Paul Le Fevre said in a statement. According to Italian media, Ruffini, who resides nearby, has been arrested. Ruffini's arrest came after a years-long legal marathon to obtain his extradition to France, after an investigation was opened in 2014 and five years later the issuance of a European arrest warrant. A Milan court gave the green light two years ago to extradite Ruffini to France to face charges of fraud and counterfeiting, but his transfer to a French court has been put on hold pending trial. completion of parallel legal proceedings in Italy for tax evasion. In May, Ruffini was acquitted in the tax evasion trial. Well known in the art world, Ruffini has sold dozens of paintings since the 1990s, including works attributed to great masters in the history of painting such as El Greco to prestigious European museums, including the Louvre in Paris, often by using intermediaries. But his fakes also attracted wealthy buyers, such as the Prince of Liechtenstein , who acquired a fake from Lucas Cranach the Elder representing Venus for seven million euros ($7.24 million).
Seen in Le Journal des Arts - https://www.vwart.com/