Overview
- A London judge dismissed criminal charges against Hauser & Wirth and shipping firm Artay Rauchwerger Solomons on Thursday after ruling prosecutors had not shown the buyer was a person connected with Russia.
- Prosecutors said the case concerned the sale and shipment of George Condo’s work Escape From Humanity that was negotiated in 2021 and moved between April and December 2022 when the UK’s ban on luxury exports to Russia was in force.
- The court battle turned on conflicting evidence about the buyer, Alexander Popov, including a DHL record listing a Moscow address, claims he renounced Russian citizenship, his property moves to Bosnia and Armenia, and an intercepted shipment by UK Border Force.
- Princess Eugenie, a Hauser & Wirth director, was never accused of wrongdoing and the gallery said it denied any misconduct and welcomed the court’s dismissal while reiterating its commitment to sanctions compliance.
- The ruling ends this specific prosecution but leaves the UK sanctions framework intact and signals that future enforcement will depend on clearer documentary proof and tighter due diligence by dealers and shippers.