Law, crime and regulation

Russian allegations that ISIS is netting $150-$200m annually from the sale of looted Syrian and Iraqi antiquities have been dismissed by the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA).

The prosecution in the trial of the Cols Rouges – the erstwhile portering staff at Hôtel Drouot, the communal saleroom facility used by most Paris auctioneers – have called for prison sentences of up to five years and fines of €250,000 for those found guilty of theft and criminal conspiracy.

An important drawing by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) that changed hands in a major private sale has been temporarily stopped from leaving the UK.

Following the death of print dealer Justin Skrebowski, 52,000 people have now signed a petition launched by his widow, Gulsen Alkan, to make knife sales safer.

Police have arrested a third man in connection with the death of antique silver dealer Robyn Mercer.

Tributes have been paid to Robyn Mercer, the antique silver dealer who was found dead at her home in West Molesey, Surrey last week.

Surrey Police have confirmed that a second man was arrested today on suspicion of the murder of antiques dealer Robyn Mercer.

Auction houses selling wine, whisky and other alcoholic drinks to other businesses face criminal convictions and fines up to £10,000 if they fail to register for a new HMRC scheme that aims to police the sale of alcohol to retailers and capture an estimated £1.2bn in unpaid tax.

Police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of antiques dealer Robyn Mercer who was found beaten to death at her home in West Molesey, Surrey.

Tighter regulations surrounding fraud and money laundering are prompting French banks to close the euro accounts of some UK dealers and shippers.

Specialist taxidermy dealer Alexis Turner has lost a significant portion of his stock following an extraordinary raid on a London warehouse.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service have announced a new programme to “help reduce the overall ivory market”.

The British Antiques Dealers Association has met with HM Treasury officials as part of its campaign against HMRC plans to require all businesses to file tax returns on a quarterly, digital basis from 2020.

A temporary export bar has been placed on Femme, a 15in (37cm) plaster sculpture made by Alberto Giacometti c.1928-29.

A decade on since Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) was launched in the UK, over £50m has been collected from auctions and dealers for artists and their heirs.

Police are investigating a raid on The Old Mill Antiques Centre in Bridgnorth, Shrophire.

Tributes are being paid to Richard Cole, a Gloucestershire specialist in Asian works of art, whose body was discovered in the Herengracht canal in Amsterdam on February 1.

The Art Loss Register (ALR) has located two paintings stolen from a home in Amsterdam in 2010.

Arthur Swallow Fairs, organisers of the Lincolnshire Antiques & Home Show, have chosen to ‘phoenix’ their company to avoid a tax liability dating back three years.

A jury in New York lost their chance to rule on the first of several lawsuits against the Knoedler Gallery and its former director Ann Freedman when the suits were settled out of court.