Nine People Arrested in Alleged Rp199 Billion Ticket Fraud Scheme at the Louvre Museum

JAKARTA - The Paris Prosecutor's Office, France on Thursday said nine people were detained as part of an investigation into an alleged 10 million euro (Rp199,824,000,000) ticket fraud scheme that has been going on for a decade at the Louvre, the world's most visited museum.

The arrest took place on Tuesday as part of a judicial investigation opened after the Louvre filed a complaint in December 2024, the prosecutor's office said, reporting on Arab News from The Associated Press (13/2).

"The museum's losses over the past decade are estimated to exceed 10 million euros (Rp199,824,000,000)," he said.

Those detained include two Louvre employees, several tour guides and one person suspected of being the mastermind, according to the prosecutor's office.

The museum informed investigators of the presence of two Chinese tour guides who allegedly took Chinese tourist groups to the museum using the same ticket repeatedly for different visitors. Another guide was then allegedly involved in a similar practice.

The prosecutor's office said the surveillance and wiretaps confirmed the repeated use of tickets and a clear strategy to break up tour groups to avoid paying the "speaking fee" imposed on guides.

The investigation also pointed to accomplices inside the Louvre, with guides allegedly paying them cash in return for avoiding ticket checks, the prosecutor's office said.

A formal judicial investigation was opened in June last year with charges including organized fraud, money laundering, corruption, aiding illegal entry into the country as part of an organized group, and the use of false administrative documents.

Investigators believe the network may have brought up to 20 tour groups per day over the past decade.

The suspects are believed to have invested some of the money in the field of property in France and Dubai. Authorities have seized more than 957,000 euros in cash, including 67,000 euros in foreign currency, as well as 486,000 euros from bank accounts.

The prosecutor's office said similar ticket fraud was also suspected at the Palace of Versailles, without giving further details.

Previously, the October robbery of crown jewels at the Louvre drew the world's attention to the museum, after a team of four broke in through a window during visiting hours and fled with treasures worth around 88 million euros ($104 million).

Authorities have arrested several suspects in the case, but the stolen items are still missing.