The art dealer was fined 260 million euros

The French court of causation on Wednesday overturned the release of the heirs of Wildstein art dealers, prosecuting several hundred million euros in tax evasion and ordering a new trial.

The Paris Court of Appeals affirmed on June 29, 2018, the first of the three heirs and their counsel to be pronounced excellently innocent. The Office of the General Prosecutor, which has taken heavy requests at trial, has appealed to the Supreme Court of France.

The court found in his judgment a prescription for the crime of tax evasion against Guy Wildenstein and felt that there were no physical factors to convict his nephew, Alec Jr.. His ex-sister Lyoba Stoupakova, two lawyers, a notary and two managers of “trusts” were also released.

The decision was seen as a setback for the General Prosecutor’s Office, who were sentenced to four years in prison, two of whom were suspended and fined 250 250 million by Guy Wildenstein, who was presented as head of the clan allegedly “known”. Billions have been hidden from tax authorities over the years.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the appellate decision and referred the case to the Paris Court of Appeal for a third hearing.

Guy Wildenstein’s lawyer, Herve Temim, told the AFP to “observe” the decision, and we felt that the ruling “allowed Wildstein to be re-released before a court of law.” Appeals with great determination ”.

When Patriarch Daniel and his eldest son Alec died in 2001 and 2008, Wildstein was accused of hiding most of their wealth, some of which was revealed during violent inheritance disputes.

Ownership of their property – artifacts, racehorses, luxurious Kenyan ranches and prestigious buildings – has gone on the web of “trusts” for three generations, with these Anglo-Saxon trust companies in the Bahamas or Guernsey prosecuting them for acting as “vectors of tax evasion”.

At the end of 2014, French tax authorities sent over half a billion euros in recovery to the heirs. A parallel civil lawsuit is still pending on the matter.