France detains nine in probe over alleged $15m Louvre ticket fraud

PARIS - French police arrested nine people in an investigation into a Louvre ticket fraud that may have cost the world’s most visited museum €10 million (S$15 million) in revenues, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Feb 13.

Those in custody include two Louvre officials, several guides and one person described as the organiser of the ring, it said in a statement. Police seized almost €1 million in cash and nearly €500,000 parked in bank accounts.

The dismantling of a potential wide-scale fraud scheme adds to a spate of setbacks at the museum – including a spectacular jewel heist, a water leak that damaged ancient books, and strikes – that have put its management under intense scrutiny.

The investigation began as the Louvre flagged in December 2024 the presence of two Chinese guides who were suspected of getting groups of Chinese tourists into the museum by reusing single-entry tickets for different people.

After more than a year of checks,

police identified a fully fledged network that may have let in fraudulently up to 20 groups of tourists per day over a decade-long period while bribing Louvre officials to turn a blind eye.

The ring is suspected of having invested the proceeds in real estate in France and Dubai.

The prosecutor’s office said the ring had perpetrated the same kind of ticket fraud at the Palace of Versailles, though it did not elaborate.

“The Louvre Museum is facing a resurgence and diversification of ticket fraud,” a spokeswoman told Reuters. In response, the museum’s management has drawn up a plan to prevent cheating and punish fraudsters, she said.

A Palace of Versailles spokesperson declined to comment.

In January, the Louvre raised ticket prices by 45 per cent for most non-European Union tourists to help finance renovations. REUTERS