The trial of Charles Debbasch, dean of the Law University of Aix-en-provence, southern France, and former manager of the Vasarely Foundation who has been accused of breach of trust, started on December 12th 2002. The family of Victor Vasarely lodged a complaint after discovering that some 42 million FF (US $ 5,75 million) had been missing from the accounts of the Foundation. It added that seven major paintings produced by the Hungarian-born master of “Optic'art” who died at 89 in 1997 had disappeared.
Charles Debbasch, who was also a close adviser of French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing during the 1970s, has always denied the charges laid against him and accused instead Vasarely's family of having dispossessed the Foundation, which he ran from 1981 until 1993.
Michèle Vasarely, the artist's daughter-in-law, said that Debbasch had misappropriated at least 3,4 million FF ($ 470,000) and stolen seven works from the Foundation. She added that as a result of Debbasch's behaviour Vasarely's reputation and price rate at auction had been destroyed.
Debbasch, who fought during six years to put his trial off, retorted that such accusations were nothing but infamous. He will however have to give the judge of the Aix-en-Provence court an explanation about the transfer of 2,3 million FF ($ 320,000) to the Swiss bank account of a Panama-based company as well as important deposits in cash made in the bank account of his mistress, renovation works in his house, the financing of a local radio station, travels to Hong Kong and salaries to several secretaries all paid by the Foundation.
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