UK court decision for Greek looted art to be returned to Libya

An ancient Greek sculpture depicting goddess Dimitra or her daughter Persephone worth around 1.5 million pounds was found to have been illegally brought to the UK after it was looted from a world heritage site in Cyrene, Libya. Judge John Zani ruled that the 4ft marble statue dug up in the ancient Greek colony of Cyrene that was smuggled to Britain in 2011 has to be returned. Customs officials discovered the artefact in a London warehouse and handed it to the British Museum. Unlike, the other controversial artefacts gracing the museum’s large collection, the Westminster magistrates’ court ruled that the statue should be returned to its rightful home.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) found the statue to have been “misdeclared” upon arrival to the UK following claims that it had been brought to the country from Turkey. Jordanian national Riad Al Qassas said the sculpture, dating from as far back as the 4th century BC, belonged to him.