Billionaire Trond Mohn charged with forgery of historic gold coins

– The French authorities believe that this coin originates from a shipwreck, and that the coin should never have been taken out of France, because it is the property of the state of France, says police attorney Andreas Meeg Bentzen to NRK.

Mohn himself believes the charge is baseless and says he bought the coin through Oslo Myntgalleri.

– That gold coin was at one time seized by the German authorities and was released at the end of the 90s. If the French authorities had contacted the German authorities, they would have understood that the coin is free, he says.

The coin dates from when Emperor Quintillus ruled the Roman Empire. Despite a short reign, gold coins bearing his name and image were produced. When the coin appeared on a Norwegian auction site earlier this year, France reacted.

France sent a request to Økokrim in Norway where they claimed that the coin is their state property and that it belongs to them. The coin was then withdrawn from the market. In a ruling, the Oslo District Court writes that there is no evidence that Mohn knew he was doing something illegal when he put the coin up for sale.

– The charge is a violation of the Cultural Heritage Act or theft, so selling this coin, we believe, is associated with punishment, says Bentzen.