- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
Top French art expert faces fake furniture trial
A leading French art expert is to face trial on charges of forgery for building furniture that he falsely claimed to be from the 18th century and was sold at high prices to buyers who included the Palace of Versailles.
Bill Pallot, one of the world's leading experts on 18th century French furniture, is charged with implementing the scam between 2008-2105 in one of the biggest forgery scandals to rock the art world in recent years.
According to the trial order issued by the investigating magistrate on Monday, a copy of which was seen by AFP on Wednesday, Pallot and five others as well as a prominent gallery will face trial.
Pallot, 59, is a familiar figure in France due to his regular publications and media appearances, with his distinctive long hair and three-piece suits.
He is accused along with fellow defendant Bruno Desnoues -- a prominent woodcarver -- of from 2007-2008 producing and selling chairs that were falsely claimed to be historic pieces that adorned the rooms of the likes of Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV, or Queen Marie-Antoinette.
Customers for the pieces included the Palace of Versailles and the scam continued unnoticed for years despite the warning signs until investigators finally noticed abnormalities from 2014.
When the full scandal erupted in 2016, the ministry of culture swiftly ordered an audit of Versailles' acquisitions policy.
The scandal is not the only one to rock the rarefied world of France's top museums in recent years.
The former director of the Louvre Museum, Jean-Luc Martinez, was charged last year with conspiring to hide the origin of archaeological treasures that investigators suspect were smuggled out of Egypt in the chaos of the Arab Spring.
France's Court of Cassation on Wednesday rejected an appeal brought by Martinez to have the charges dropped.
A.Jones--AMWN