Prosecutor says Modigliani painting led to Hadzic arrest

A painting by early 20th century Italian master Amedeo Modigliani helped investigators track down and arrest the last remaining fugitive from the Yugoslav war crimes court in The Hague.

The “strategic breakthrough” in the years-long hunt for former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic came when he tried to sell the Modigliani, valued at several million euros, prosecutors said, hours after his arrest in a mountain forest.

Police seized the Italian expressionist’s painting during a search of a house belonging to a friend of Mr Hadzic, Zoran Mandic, on December 30 last year. Prosecutors said it was one of around 50 paintings of high value seized.

The authorities believe that Mr Hadzic owned the painting – Portrait of a Man, painted by the artist in 1918 – and an attempt to sell it tipped them off that he was having trouble funding his seven-year flight from international justice.

“That was a sign showing that Mr Hadzic was running out of money, so we followed that lead,” Serbia’s chief war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said.

“At that moment he was penniless,” the prosecutor said. Of the Modgliani, he said Mr Hadzic “probably got it during the war in Croatia,” fought between Croatia and ethnic Serbs loyal to Belgrade between 1991-95.

Mr Hadzic has been indicted by The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed after the 1991 seige of the Croatian city of Vukovar.

The 46 x 38-centimetre painting of an unidentified young man was previously unknown before it was authenticated by experts in 2007 and went on display briefly at a Belgrade exhibition in 2007.

At the time, officials said it was owned by a Serbian collector who wanted to remain anonymous.

The prosecutor said the bearded 52-year-old was about to leave the country when he was arrested, having been tipped off by his network of friends, including priests from the influential Serbian Orthodox Church.