Athlete's boyfriend Mazhari told detective he owned paintings, art theft trial is told

Irwin Block

Myriam Bedard's former manager says he tried to protect the one-time Olympic biathlete by telling police of suspicions that her boyfriend had stolen paintings from a prominent Montreal artist.

"I was afraid Myriam was getting tangled up in a messy situation," television producer Jean-Marc St-Pierre testified yesterday at the trial of Nima Mazhari.

An artist, Mazhari is charged with theft and possession of stolen property - 20 paintings by the late Ghitta Caiserman-Roth.

St-Pierre became close to the Bedard family during the 10 years he was Myriam Bedard's agent, starting when she won a bronze medal at the 1992 winter Games at Albertville, France.

Over the phone in the spring of 2004, her father, Pierre Bedard, was "preoccupied, desperate, fearful," St-Pierre told the Quebec Superior Court jury trial.

St-Pierre asked his associate, Andre Douillard, who was going to Lac St. Jean, to visit Bedard in Quebec City. He brought back photos of four paintings allegedly stolen from Caiserman-Roth.

St. Pierre said he gave the photos to the Montreal police department's economic crimes unit because, "I was concerned for Myriam."

Earlier yesterday, Det.-Sgt. Alain Lacoursiere testified he interviewed Mazhari in June 2004 and showed him photos of the paintings.

Mazhari told him they were Caiserman-Roth's work except for a painting of sunflowers that he claimed was his work, with some additions by Caiserman-Roth.

The two artists met in 1998 and decided to share a studio on St. Laurent Blvd. that was rented in both their names, Mazhari said in the statement to Lacoursiere.

Mazhari also said he had no other paintings by Caiserman-Roth.

Told that Pierre Bedard had said he had the four paintings and several others, Mazhari was categorical that the paintings referred to belonged to him, while others belonged to Myriam Bedard.

Mazhari then said the works were at a building on Cote du Passage St. in Levis, in suburban Quebec City, but when police went there with a search warrant they found nothing, Lacoursiere testified.

Mazhari told police he had Caiserman-Roth's bank PIN number and sometimes withdrew $500 or $600 for her, but otherwise never received money from her.

Mazhari never signed the statement he made to police, however, saying he did not have his eyeglasses.

Daniel Erban, a CEGEP mathematics teacher and artist who framed Caiserman-Roth's pieces, was shown photos of 30 works but was unable to say for sure they were hers.

Erban and his son David, at the family's request, emptied her studio on Dec. 26, 2001. He could not say for sure how many works he moved to Caiserman-Roth's house on Jeanne Mance St.

The trial continues today.

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