Top French art expert faces fake furniture trial / Photo: Ludovic MARIN - AFP/File
-
US Congress impasse over migrant crackdown set to trigger partial shutdown
-
AI's bitter rivalry heads to Washington
-
South Korea hails 'miracle' Choi after teen's landmark Olympic gold
-
England seek statement Six Nations win away to Scotland
-
Trent return can help Arbeloa's Real Madrid move forward
-
Battling Bremen braced for Bayern onslaught
-
Bangladesh nationalists claim big election win, Islamists cry foul
-
Tourists empty out of Cuba as US fuel blockade bites
-
Tearful Canadian mother mourns daughter before Carney visits town shaken by killings
-
Italy dream of cricket 'in Rome, Milan and Bologna' after historic win
-
Oscars museum dives into world of Miyazaki's 'Ponyo'
-
Dieng powers Bucks over NBA champion Thunder
-
Japan seizes Chinese fishing vessel, arrests captain
-
Bangladesh political heir Tarique Rahman poised for PM
-
Asian stocks track Wall St down but AI shift tempers losses
-
Bangladesh's BNP claim 'sweeping' election win
-
Drones, sirens, army posters: How four years of war changed a Russian city
-
Crowds flock to Istanbul's Museum of Innocence before TV adaptation
-
North Korea warns of 'terrible response' if South sends more drones
-
NASA crew set for flight to ISS
-
'Punk wellness': China's stressed youth mix traditional medicine and cocktails
-
Diplomacy, nukes and parades: what to watch at North Korea's next party congress
-
Arsenal, Man City eye trophy haul, Macclesfield more FA Cup 'miracles'
-
Dreaming of glory at Rio's carnival, far from elite parades
-
Bangladesh's BNP heading for 'sweeping' election win
-
Hisatsune grabs Pebble Beach lead with sparkling 62
-
Venezuela amnesty bill postponed amid row over application
-
Barca taught 'lesson' in Atletico drubbing: Flick
-
Australia's Liberals elect net zero opponent as new leader
-
Arsenal must block out noise in 'rollercoaster' title race: Rice
-
Suns forward Brooks banned one game for technical fouls
-
N. Korea warns of 'terrible response' if more drone incursions from South
-
LA fires: California probes late warnings in Black neighborhoods
-
Atletico rout Barca in Copa del Rey semi-final first leg
-
Arsenal held by Brentford to offer Man City Premier League title hope
-
US snowboard star Kim 'proud' as teenager Choi dethrones her at Olympics
-
Chloe Kim misses Olympic milestone, Ukrainian disqualfied over helmet
-
Tech shares pull back ahead of US inflation data
-
'Beer Man' Castellanos released by MLB Phillies
-
Canada PM to join mourners in remote town after mass shooting
-
Teenager Choi wrecks Kim's Olympic snowboard hat-trick bid
-
Inter await Juve as top guns go toe-to-toe in Serie A
-
Swiatek, Rybakina dumped out of Qatar Open
-
Europe's most powerful rocket carries 32 satellites for Amazon Leo network into space
-
Neighbor of Canada mass shooter grieves after 'heartbreaking' attack
-
French Olympic ice dance champions laud 'greatest gift'
-
Strange 'inside-out' planetary system baffles astronomers
-
Teenager Choi denies Kim Olympic snowboard hat-trick
-
Swiss bar owners face wrath of bereaved families
-
EU vows reforms to confront China, US -- but split on joint debt
Top French art expert faces fake furniture trial
A leading French art expert is to face trial on charges of forgery for building furniture that he falsely claimed to be from the 18th century and was sold at high prices to buyers who included the Palace of Versailles.
Bill Pallot, one of the world's leading experts on 18th century French furniture, is charged with implementing the scam between 2008-2105 in one of the biggest forgery scandals to rock the art world in recent years.
According to the trial order issued by the investigating magistrate on Monday, a copy of which was seen by AFP on Wednesday, Pallot and five others as well as a prominent gallery will face trial.
Pallot, 59, is a familiar figure in France due to his regular publications and media appearances, with his distinctive long hair and three-piece suits.
He is accused along with fellow defendant Bruno Desnoues -- a prominent woodcarver -- of from 2007-2008 producing and selling chairs that were falsely claimed to be historic pieces that adorned the rooms of the likes of Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV, or Queen Marie-Antoinette.
Customers for the pieces included the Palace of Versailles and the scam continued unnoticed for years despite the warning signs until investigators finally noticed abnormalities from 2014.
When the full scandal erupted in 2016, the ministry of culture swiftly ordered an audit of Versailles' acquisitions policy.
The scandal is not the only one to rock the rarefied world of France's top museums in recent years.
The former director of the Louvre Museum, Jean-Luc Martinez, was charged last year with conspiring to hide the origin of archaeological treasures that investigators suspect were smuggled out of Egypt in the chaos of the Arab Spring.
France's Court of Cassation on Wednesday rejected an appeal brought by Martinez to have the charges dropped.
A.Jones--AMWN
