The Louvre and Versailles lost over 10 million euros due to ticket fraud. Paris police arrested museum staff and guides who had conspired for 10 years.
The Paris prosecutor's office has revealed details of a large-scale corruption scheme that operated at the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles for 10 years. The losses of France's main museum institution are estimated to exceed €10 million.
Tourist guides and current museum employees are at the center of the scandal. The scheme was based on the repeated use of the same entrance tickets for different groups of tourists (up to 20 groups a day). An investigation that began in December 2024 led to the arrest of nine individuals. During searches, more than €1 million in cash was seized, along with assets in elite real estate in France and Dubai.
The Louvre's management announced the implementation of a new "structured anti-fraud plan." The incident occurred against the backdrop of increased control measures: the museum had previously reported investments in security following a series of thefts and infrastructure issues.
