Summary:
The Swiss justice system has dropped a criminal case against Dmitri Rybolovlev, the owner of AS Monaco, in connection with a commercial conflict surrounding the fraudulent sale of a prestigious art collection.
Full Story:
The Swiss justice system has cleared Dmitri Rybolovlev, owner of AS Monaco, of all charges in the Rybolovlev-Bouvier case. The case had been ongoing since 2017 and accused Rybolovlev of bringing a Swiss citizen to Monaco to be apprehended by the local police. However, the Swiss federal justice system concluded that there was no justification for pursuing the case. The origin of the case lies in a commercial dispute over the sale of a prestigious art collection, including the famous “Salvator Mundi” attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Rybolovlev accused Bouvier, a dealer, of overcharging him for the works and profiting from their sale. The case sparked legal proceedings in several countries, including Switzerland, Monaco, Singapore, and the United States. Bouvier, in turn, accused Rybolovlev of orchestrating a plan to have him arrested in Monaco. However, the evidence obtained from Rybolovlev’s lawyer’s phone was deemed inadmissible, leading to the dismissal of Bouvier’s accusations. Although the Swiss case is closed, the Monaco case, known as “Monacogate,” remains ongoing, with Rybolovlev facing charges of corruption and influence peddling. Rybolovlev’s lawyers hope that the judgment of the Court of Human Rights will have a similar impact in Monaco and lead to the dismissal of charges, as the evidence in the case relies solely on the illegally obtained phone records.
Source:
Monaco Tribune
