Keystone
The art dealer Yves Bouvier has to answer to the Federal Criminal Court for tax evasion.
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Works of art with a total value of CHF 2 billion were sold to a Russian oligarch. The proceeds are said to have been booked by the Geneva authorities as income from two offshore companies. As some newspapers in western Switzerland report, this in turn resulted in tax deductions.
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The Federal Tax Administration (FTA) opened a special investigation in tax matters against Bouvier in March 2017. She accused the Geneva art dealer of not having declared all of his earnings between 2007 and 2015. Likewise, the two companies imposed on him are said not to have taxed the profits.
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Finds of the house search
As a result of a house search, the FTA confiscated a Bouvier property that is said to be worth CHF 4.5 million. The property now serves as a pledge. In addition, documents were secured that were initially sealed. Bouvier and his lawyers had argued that the documents were protected by lawyer’s privilege.
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After a long legal pulling of the rope, the Federal Criminal Court ordered the removal of the seal on Monday with a published decision. This decision can currently be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.
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Question about tax domicile still open
The court has not yet dealt with the allegation of tax evasion and the domicile of the art dealer. Bouvier claims that he left Switzerland in 2009 to settle in Singapore. For this reason, he was no longer subject to tax in Switzerland. The Federal Tax Administration, on the other hand, takes the view that this seat is fictitious and that the art dealer continues to do business from Geneva. (SDA / lui)
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