Art Dealer Quizzed After Billionaire’s Fraud Complaint
- Bouvier’s feud with Dmitry Rybolovlev dates from early 2015
- Billionaire accuses Swiss of overcharging him by $1 billion
The Geneva Free Port (Ports Francs) warehouse complex in 2016.
Photographer: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier appeared for questioning by Geneva prosecutors over accusations of fraud tied to his sale of more than $2 billion worth of artwork to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.
The sales spanning a decade spurred a bitter feud between the two men and scrutiny in Monaco, Singapore, the U.S. and now Switzerland. Dressed in a dark suit and brown loafers, Bouvier and his lawyer entered the Geneva Ministry of Justice buildings Thursday to meet with Yves Bertossa, who replaced Jean-Bernard Schmid as top Geneva prosecutor. Such meetings can be the trigger of criminal proceedings and formal accusations. A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office would not confirm more than the fact that the two men met.