Franco-Italian art collector Giuliano Ruffini, wanted by French courts for having orchestrated for decades an elaborate network of trafficking in counterfeits, including paintings attributed to great masters, turned himself in to Italian police on Friday, his lawyer announced.
Giuliano Ruffini, 77, is accused of deceiving museums, auction houses and individuals by selling them paintings presented as works of great masters, but which turned out to be forgeries.
Opening of an investigation in 2014
He turned himself in to police in Castelnovo ne’ 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 lives nearby, has been arrested.
Ruffini’s arrest came after a legal marathon of years to get him extradited to France, after an investigation was opened in 2014 and five years after a European arrest warrant was issued.
A Milan court gave the green light two years ago to extradite Ruffini to France on fraud and forgery charges, but his transfer to a French court has been put on hold pending the completion of parallel legal proceedings in Italy for tax evasion.
In May, Ruffini was acquitted in his tax evasion trial.
Dozens of paintings sold
Known in the art world, Ruffini has sold dozens of paintings since the 1990s, including works attributed to great masters of painting history such as El Greco, to prestigious European museums, including the Louvre in Paris, often through of intermediaries.
But his forgeries have also attracted wealthy buyers, including the Prince of Liechtenstein, who bought a Lucas Cranach the Elder forgery depicting Venus for seven million euros ($7.24 million).
Source: BFM TV
