Well known gallery owner arrested for selling forgeries and antiquities

George Tsagkarakis  was taken to the Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Department.

According to information, George Tsagkarakis was arrested for violating the law on antiquities and cultural heritage.

Tthe Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, raided the warehouses of his gallery located on Iasonidou Street in Elliniko this morning.ccording to the same information, a lot of cash - the amount is unknown - and approximately 500 paintings were found in the warehouse, some of which are by well-known painters, such as Theophilos.

The initial complaint stated that the gallery owner was allegedly selling paintings that he attributed to leading Greek painters, such as Theophilos, Konstantinos Parthenis and Yannis Tsarouchis, at prices ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 euros.

And a video from an auction that took place yesterday brought the authorities to a raid. It is a video in which G. Tsagkarakis was seen presenting a Gospel from 1745. Thus, the men of the Greek FBI proceeded to raid his business, which is based in Kolonaki and has warehouses in the southern suburbs.

Giorgos Tsagkarakis was arrested for violating the law on antiquities and cultural heritage.

"I have the blessing of having it in my hands, that in the 36 years that I have been in the field, something like this has never happened before. I will reveal it to you immediately and I am going to auction it. It is a collector's, museum Gospel that was written in 1745 in Venice, during the period when Chrysostomos Notaras was Patriarch of Jerusalem," he says in the presentation of the Gospel, which cost "8,000-12,000 euros."

As he is heard saying, it is a "magnificant museum Gospel," which was printed in Venice.

Approximately 400 paintings were seized from the operation, of which at least 7 are alleged to be certified forgeries. Along with this, the amount of 200,000 euros found in cash was also seized.