Controversy Over Proposed Amnesty To Tomb Raiders
A move to grant an amnesty to owners of looted antiquities in Italy was condemned as a licence for tomb robbers by conservation experts yesterday.
The measure exonerates those who own stolen items of archaeological value provided that they pay the State 5 per cent of the value. Salvatore Settis, a prominent art historian and former government adviser, said that this was a shameful move that amounted to"a pardon for anyone who has stashed away illegally acquired treasures".
"Not only is crime not being punished, it is actually being rewarded," Professor Settis said."This is a cynical and irresponsible licence to kill the archaeological patrimony of Italy. A gigantic treasure hunt is about to begin."
Italian police have sought to curb the illegal trade in antiquities during the past decade in collaboration with police and art experts in London, the centre of dealing in stolen artworks and archaeological treasures. The new measure amends a code on the preservation of Italy's cultural heritage drawn up by Giuliano Urbani, the Minister of Culture, and passed by Parliament this year. Signor Urbani has already come under fire for"selling off the family silver" by allowing the sale of state-owned assets to private bidders to help to plug Italy's budget deficit.
Signor Urbani -who recently gave a copy of the code to the Prince of Wales when he visited Turin -insists that"the Colosseum is not for sale", and only"historically unimportant" buildings will be sold. La Repubblica said that the latest move was further proof that the Government was dismantling Italy's patrimony.
The budget amendment says that"private owners of items of archaeological importance that have not been officially declared...will acquire full title to the object through the payment of 5 per cent of its value". The new law requires the owner to attest that the article"is held in good faith".
Professor Settis said that it was" clearly open to abuse. As for the payment of 5 per cent of the value, it depends who decides what the object is worth", and that the amendment abolished"the centuries-old principle that the State owns any archaeological find".
Professor Settis also led the opposition to the proposed sell-off, which includes a monastery in Como, a convent in Cosenza, a barracks, several Fascist-era buildings and a 19th-century palazzo in Rome.
RICH PICKINGS
The illegal trade in art and antiquities is banned by a 1970 Unesco convention. But police estimate the trade is worth at least $ 100 million (£54 million) a year in Italy alone 2004.
2001
* 4th-century BC gold phiale returned after Manhattan financier fails to prove provenance in five-year legal battle. Stolen from Sicily
* 29 businessman, bankers and housewives arrested for smuggling $ 18 million worth of 7th century BC coins and relics to Switzerland
* 2,500-year-old statue of Aphrodite stolen in 1970 from Morgantina, near Enna, in Sicily, returned by Getty Museum in Malibu
1999
* New York's Metropolitan Museum returns bowl by 5th century BC potter Euphronios. It has scenes from Trojan War. Stolen from an Etruscan tomb
1998
* Vinczenzo Cammarata,"Indiana Jones of Italy", arrested. £20 million of treasures found at his 18th century villa. He has denied all charges.