Howdy!
Fortunately I don't know Claude Simard (artist & Galeriste), Stéphane Saintonge (Montreal Fiscal Lawyer), Réjean Lévesque (Mayor of the town of Larouche), Paul-Henri Munger (Secretary Treasurer of Larouche), Paulina Kolczynska (New York evaluator), Daniel Pednault (Municipal Councilor of Larouche), Corporation Aden inc. et Société XBO (Holding companies run by André Denis inc.). However, I do know Ms. Dion and Ms. Rodriguez, and according to this article in Friday's Le Devoir they are all being investigated by Revenue Canada for Tax evasion, not a good thing. For those of you not in Montreal Thérèse Dion and Lilian Rodriguez each run a gallery here in Montreal.
Apologies about the awkward translations of titles, but it is still early in the morning. Basically, the article states, that some rich folk were recruited to buy art at ridiculously inflated prices, they would then donate the art to the town of Larouche, so that they could get a museum off the ground, the money to purchase the art at ridiculously inflated prices would be loaned to the rich purchasers by the sellers for 30 years interest free. All in order to avoid having to pay taxes. My best guess, assuming that the G-Men are right, would be that the amount of money loaned interest free for 30 years was the difference between the real selling price, and the ridiculously inflated one. Or at least that is what my pidgin French translating skills have me believe.
It is going to be a busy day, but I'm going to see if I can't get my hands on a list of the art that was loaned or sold or moved to Larouche. And for their sake and incidentally that of the Montreal art scene, I hope that Thérèse Dion and Lilian Rodriguez are innocent. Getting busted by G-Men is never fun.
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