A woman involved in the Davids art collection fraud recently failed to appear for her sentencing. Nabila Habiby, 39, claimed she was struck by luggage at an airport. Consequently, she suffered a concussion and was hospitalised in Belgium.
Ms. Habiby was due at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday. However, this marked her second absence from sentencing proceedings. Her defence barrister informed the court about the alleged incident.
Ms. Habiby admitted two counts of fraud in September 2023. She was released on bail at that time. She faces a potential prison sentence of up to 34 months for these offences.
The fraud involved securing £31,500 in loans. She achieved this by pawning 37 paintings and artworks. These items belonged to former Premier League player Edgar Davids.
Davids had entrusted Ms. Habiby with his modern art collection. He gave her the keys to his Hertfordshire home in December 2014. She was supposed to place the items into storage during his move to a central London apartment.
However, Ms. Habiby instead took the collection to pawnbrokers. Davids only discovered the fraud when she defaulted on her repayments. Subsequently, pawn shops began selling the artwork to international buyers.
One buyer eventually contacted Davids directly. This was to inquire about a specific painting’s background. It exposed the full extent of the scheme.
Judge Emma Deacon KC received medical evidence from Belgium. Yet, she deemed it “inadequate” to support Ms. Habiby’s story. Nevertheless, the judge agreed to adjourn the hearing. This allows the original judge, who accepted the guilty pleas, to pass sentence.
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation years ago. Therefore, this case dates back to fraud offences from 2015 and 2016. The art collection included works by Paul Insect and Ron English. Davids had acquired these from the Opera Gallery in New York between 2006 and 2012.
While some pieces have been recovered, 25 artworks remain missing. Ms. Habiby has now been ordered to attend court on September 23 for sentencing. She must also provide a full medical report to substantiate her latest absence.
