Sale of Salvator Mundi: an agreement between the Russian Rybolovlev and the art dealer

After years of legal battles, the owner of the AS Monaco football club Dmitri Rybolovlev and the Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier have just closed an incredible dispute over accusations of fraud. But in Monaco, the Russian billionaire still risks a trial for corruption. It was in a press release that the Geneva public prosecutor's office announced last week that it had closed the criminal proceedings against Yves Bouvier. On November 20, the parties informed that “they had reached an agreement,” ending a high-profile saga.

The Russian billionaire accused Yves Bouvier of having defrauded him out of a billion euros during the sale of master paintings including the Salvator Mundi attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, then resold by the Russian for the record sum of 450 million dollars. “Today marks the end of a nine-year nightmare. The judicial authorities unanimously recognized my innocence,” responded Yves Bouvier.

Also read: Yves Bouvier indicted for concealment of theft

“This was the last procedure in which Mr. Rybolovlev was a plaintiff concerning the sales of paintings, whether in Monaco or in Switzerland,” Thomas Giaccardi, one of the Russian's lawyers, confirmed to AFP. But in Monaco, an investigation for corruption involving Dmitri Rybolovlev has now ended, AFP learned from a Monegasque judicial source at the end of last week. “It is now up to the Attorney General to make his submissions before the judge decides whether or not to refer the accused to the Monaco Criminal Court,” added this source.

Opened in 2018, incidentally to the investigation into the dispute with the Swiss art dealer, the Monegasque investigation targeted nine people. On one side, the alleged corrupter, Dmitri Rybolovlev, and his lawyer Tetiana Bersheda. On the other, a host of personalities from this principality supposedly corrupted by the billionaire, in an inventory worthy of the World Directory.

Philippe Narmino, Secretary of State for Justice of Monaco shortly before his indictment, his wife and son, a former Minister of the Interior, Paul Masseron, Christophe Haget, then director of the judicial police of Rocher and his deputy Frédéric Fusari, a former director of public security, Régis Asso.

According to the prosecution, Dmitri Rybolovlev, engaged in his legal standoff with Yves Bouvier, would have taken advantage of his good relations with the leaders of the police and justice of the principality to trap the latter. If the two men have now mutually renounced any form of legal action, this does not extinguish the procedure for the alleged acts of corruption, even if the holding of a trial still seems hypothetical. This will require a referral order to be issued by the investigating judge following the prosecution's submissions. This decision may still be subject to appeal, both by the prosecution and the parties. And this extraordinary trial will still have to be heard.

“I am hopeful that we will obtain an order dismissing the case, we are working in this direction,” notes Thomas Giaccardi, counsel for Dmitri Rybolovlev. The judge can also decide to dismiss certain defendants and order a dismissal of the case for others. Thomas Giaccardi also hopes that the European Court of Human Rights will follow up on his appeal concerning the use by the courts of the cell phone of Dmitri Rybolovlev's lawyer, which had seemed to reveal collusion with the Monegasque police officers.

“Since the departure of Judge Levrault, nothing has happened. I remain hopeful that the procedure will not be stifled,” declares Frank Michel, Yves Bouvier's lawyer, specifying that the agreement between his client and Dmitri Rybolovlev to withdraw from any civil party constitution does not concern the other parties. in question. Today vice-president of the Nice court, judge Édouard Levrault, who caused the scandal while he was seconded as a judge in the Principality, was dismissed prematurely in 2019.

Édouard Levrault recently testified at the trial of Éric Dupond-Moretti, the Minister of Justice, before the Court of Justice of the Republic. Lawyer, before his appointment to the ministry, of Christophe Haget, one of the police officers prosecuted, Éric Dupond-Moretti was, among other things, prosecuted for having ordered an investigation into this judge once he arrived at Place Vendôme, a situation of conflict of interest for which he was found not guilty.