A popular art gallery owner has been charged with scamming a business mogul over the sale of a sculpture by a Colombian artist. The mogul is looking to get back the $1.6 million he paid for the artwork plus shipping, as the masterpiece never arrived.
Bank statements signed by the defendant, Jasmine Tay, show that she moved the money that the mogul, Tahir, gave her to another account in London. Tay herself had signed the forms, meaning she was aware of the transaction of the funds. But now her bank statements show that no such transaction took place.
Adding to the mess is the fact that Tay has been refusing to release her finances to the court, which ordered her to do so. In November 2015, she declared bankruptcy and has faced more than a dozen lawsuits and bankruptcy applications since then from multiple companies that allege she still owes them payments.
After Tahir bought the sculpture in March 2014, the purchase was canceled in July of that same year. The reasons as to why the sale was called off differ depending on who is asked. Tahir says that Tay never showed sufficient evidence that she was shipping the sculpture to him, so he canceled the sale. Tay said that Tahir canceled the sale because he believed the sculpture was fake.
Tahir has filed two lawsuits against Tay: one to recoup his money, which was dropped after they reached a settlement, and the other when she continued to fail to pay him. Tay ignored a court order to show her assets to see how she could pay him, and skipped a court date. She continued to ignore further instructions and court dates, citing a variety of excuses as to why she didn’t complete orders or appear in front of the judge. At a recent court date that she finally did attend, a judge once again commanded her to reveal her assets at a later date, informing her that it was a very serious matter. She will be sentenced in the case following that date.
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For more on the case, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/art-gallery-owner-accused-of-scamming-tycoon.