Imprisonment required against the Soulages canvas thieves

Sentences of one to six years in prison were requested on Tuesday at the Paris Criminal Court against seven defendants, some of whom with explosive profiles, suspected of having participated in the theft of eight paintings, including two Soulages, during the sleep of a septuagenarian in Paris in 2020. The facts occurred in July 2020 in the fifth arrondissement, when Tarik H. and several of his accomplices entered the bedroom of the 75-year-old victim through an open window.

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Well informed by the

and numerous scouts, the team took away eight paintings, jewelry and a bust of the deceased husband of the victim, for a total value estimated at two million euros.

Among the targeted works, those of Pierre Soulages, whose studio is located in the same building, André Lanskoy, Gerhard Richter, Hans Hartung and Jean Fautrier.

Arrested thanks to the surveillance cameras of the city of Paris, the testimonies of the neighbors and a photo taken by one of them, the accomplices yielded under the pressure of police custody and returned six of the eight paintings, the last two were discovered by the police during searches.

Defendants with an astonishing profile

If most of the seven defendants who appeared on Monday and Tuesday were unfavorably known to the police for theft, drug trafficking or violence, two of them clashed with their profile.

Starting with the mother of Tarik H., 75 years old or the former lawyer of this one judged, for concealment after having accepted one of the paintings as a gift.

The lawyer justified this slippage by the panic fear that her former client would have inspired in her.

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At the end of a turbulent trial, where the defendants continued to disturb the proceedings, the prosecutor requested the heaviest sentence against Tarik H., already sentenced 22 times, always for thefts, i.e. six years with a warrant. deposit for aggravated theft and criminal association.

Against the mother and one of the

of the operation, four years of detention, with a probationary suspension of two years, were required.

Against the lawyer, the prosecutor asked for 12 months in prison, six of which were suspended, and a fine of 3,500 euros.

The court will deliver its decision on July 5.