Disputed $25mln Modigliani painting sequestered in GenevaApril 12, 2016 - 17:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A $25m painting has been sequestered in Geneva after leaked documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca appeared to reveal its disputed owners, BBC News reports. An art dealer's estate wants the art-collecting Nahmad family to return the Amadeo Modigliani work, which it claims the Nazis seized in World War Two. The family said International Art Center (IAC) held the work. The papers showed David Nahmad owned that company. Geneva judicial authorities said a "criminal procedure" had begun. Spokesman Henri Della Casa said proceedings had opened "within the framework of the revelations linked to the Panama Papers". He added the 1918 work, Seated Man with a Cane, had been sequestered "late last week" - meaning it cannot be moved from its current location - in the Swiss city's Freeports. The family of Oscar Stettiner, a Jewish art dealer, claimed he originally owned the painting before fleeing Paris in 1939 - an assertion the Nahmad family dispute. Since 2011, Stettiner's grandson Philippe Maestracci has been attempting to recover the work through the U.S. courts. However, U.S. authorities have struggled to establish the ownership of the painting as the Nahmads claimed in court the Panama-based IAC held it. After the leaked papers, obtained along with millions of others by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, revealed Nahmad as the owner of IAC, he told Radio Canada he "could not sleep at night if I knew I owned a looted object". Reacting to the leak, the family's lawyer Richard Golub said it was "irrelevant" who owned the company, as "the main thing is what are the issues in the case, and can the plaintiff prove them?" Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |