Just a few months after the famous theft targeting the Louvre Museum in Paris, and the subsequent water leakage incident that damaged hundreds of historical books, the world's most famous museums find themselves facing a new crisis.
This time, the case involves an organized fraud network in ticket sales that caused losses exceeding 11 million dollars.
The French authorities revealed a comprehensive network believed to have allowed up to 20 tourist groups to enter daily fraudulently over 10 years, using individual tickets for different people, by bribing officials inside the museum to overlook violations.
Investigations began more than a year ago after suspicions arose about tour guides who brought tourists in with mismatched tickets, before expanding to uncover what the prosecution described as "organized fraud."
The French public prosecutor announced the arrest of 9 people, one of whom was jailed, while the others were released under judicial supervision.
They were charged with organized fraud, forgery, facilitating the entry and movement of a foreigner as part of an organized group, active corruption, money laundering, and affiliation with a criminal organization.
Among those arrested were two museum officials and several tour guides, in addition to a person described as the mastermind of the network.
The police also seized about one million euros in cash, in addition to approximately half a million euros in bank accounts, and it is suspected that part of the proceeds were invested in buying properties inside and outside France.
A spokesperson for the museum confirmed that the Louvre faces multiple forms of ticket fraud, indicating that the administration has developed a plan to curb these practices and hold those involved accountable.
Concurrently with the revelation of the case, the "Denon" hall in the museum experienced a new water leak, a hall that houses some of the most precious artworks in the world, including the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci, but the relevant authorities managed to contain the leakage.
The Louvre Museum is the most visited museum in the world, welcoming about 30,000 visitors daily, having recorded close to 9 million visitors in the year 2024, and its annual revenue reaches about 250 million euros.
