Louvre hit by new legal saga as staff arrested over €10 million ticket fraud | EUROtoday

Nine people have been detained in reference to a suspected decade-long ticket fraud scheme on the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, Paris prosecutors introduced on Thursday.

The alleged operation is believed to have defrauded the establishment of greater than 10 million euros ($11.8 million) over the previous decade.

The arrests, which occurred on Tuesday, are a part of a judicial investigation that commenced after the Louvre lodged a proper grievance in December 2024.

Among these taken into custody are two staff of the museum, a number of tour guides, and a person suspected of being the mastermind behind the in depth fraud, in accordance with the prosecutors’ workplace.

The museum alerted investigators concerning the frequent presence of two Chinese tour guides suspected of bringing teams of Chinese vacationers into the museum by fraudulently reusing the identical tickets a number of instances for various guests. Other guides have been later suspected of comparable practices.

The prosecutors’ workplace mentioned surveillance and wiretaps confirmed repeated ticket reuse and an obvious technique of splitting up tour teams to keep away from paying the required “speaking fee” imposed on guides. The investigation additionally pointed to suspected accomplices inside the Louvre, with guides allegedly paying them money in trade for avoiding ticket checks, it mentioned.

A proper judicial investigation was opened in June final yr on costs together with organised fraud, cash laundering, corruption, aiding unlawful entry within the nation as a part of an organised group, and the usage of solid administrative paperwork.

Investigators imagine the community could have introduced in as much as 20 tour teams a day over the previous decade.

Suspects are believed to have invested a number of the cash in actual property in France and Dubai. Authorities have seized greater than 957,000 euros ($1.13 million) in money, together with 67,000 euros ($79,459) in international foreign money, in addition to 486,000 euros ($576,374) from financial institution accounts.

The prosecutors’ workplace talked about an analogous ticket fraud can be suspected to have taken place on the Palace of Versailles, with out offering additional particulars.

In October, the crown jewels theft on the Louvre draw worldwide consideration to the museum, after a workforce of 4 folks broke in via a window throughout visiting hours and fled with an estimated 88 million euros ($104 million) price of treasures. Authorities have arrested a number of suspects in that case, however the stolen gadgets stay lacking.