[Ancientartifacts] Re: Michel van Rijn arrested for antiquities laundering

VICTIM OF ART FRAUD?? CONTACT: MICHEL VAN RIJN

(From van Rijn's web site, www.michelvanrijn.nl)

I would like to know van Rijn's version.

Aldo

--- In Ancientartifacts@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Welsh" <dwelsh46@...>
wrote:
>
> Art dealer Michel van Rijn suspected of laundering
>
>
http://www.museumbeveiliging.com/2008/03/22/kunsthandelaar-michel-van-rijn-z
> ou-witwassen/ [in Dutch]
>
> Amsterdam art dealer Michel van Rijn is suspected of involvement in an
> international conspiracy being investigated by British and American
> authorities. Earlier this year Van Rijn was arrested and interrogated in
> London by Scotland Yard. He was released on bail Friday.
>
> He allegedly certified artworks in three cases with a false
certificate of
> origin or provenance. The extent of the conspiracy is not clear. But
> according to a British source who is closely involved in the
investigation,
> the scandal may result in 'great harm to the international arts and
> antiquities trade.'
>
> Central to the investigation is London investment firm Aitco, which
financed
> acquisition of works of art by Van Rijn . Aitco last year placed two
very
> valuable archaeological items in an auction at Christie's New York, for
> which Van Rijn had provided a false provenance. According to an official
> statement from Scotland Yard six suspects were arrested, including the
> manager of Aitco. "The arrests took place after a two year
investigation of
> the ring, which is suspected to have falsified the origin of stolen
works of
> art, which they claimed that they had inherited."
>
> The investigation developed rapidly when an auction alerted police
because
> of doubts surrounding the origin of two valuable archaelogical objects
> offered for sale on June 8 of last year at Christie's in New York: a
> Byzantine lamp from the sixth century and a Byzantine mosaic from
the fifth
> century.
>
> The mosaic, estimated at between 100,000 and 150,000 dollars, did
not reach
> its estimate, but the lamp was sold for 84,000 dollars. In the
catalogue of
> Christie's was stated that the lamp came from the "Wieseman collection,
> Berlin, 1930s'. To ensure that it is not a reproduction the buyer at
> Christie's was asked for additional information. "When we discovered
that
> there were problems surrounding the origin of the documents, we notified
> authorities," said spokesman Keith Carlisle. The Dutch assistant to Van
> Rijn, 38-year-old Amsterdam coin dealer Arthur Brand, is suspected of
> involvement in the scam.
>
> Brand admits that he made a false statement to a London notary. "That
> happened because we were threatened by Aitco. Then we reported the
case to
> Scotland Yard."
>
> .
>
>
> Dave Welsh
> Unidroit-L Listowner
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unidroit-L
> dwelsh46@...
>

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