ARCA: "In a complex case, Ashraf Omar Eldarir pled guilty yesterday to smuggling hundreds of Egyptian artefacts into the United States, many of them so freshly excavated they still smelled of wet earth when officials seized them".
See: Lynda Albertson, "Facing Justice: Ashraf Omar Eldarir Pleads Guilty in High-Profile Smuggling Case" ARCA Blog 11th Feb 2025.
"[...] After ARCA's list of identifications went public, practically all digital mention Egyptian artefacts tied to this Eldarir in Europe and in the United States, began to be removed from receiving dealers' websites. Dealers with webpages selling Eldarir's antiquities sometimes removed the tainted objects altogether from their listings or modified the listed provenance using less damning indicators, replacing the background detail on ownership with phrases such as "private collector, New York" and omitting any of the fabricated details of collection holders or their ties to princely collections.
Eldarir’s case is one among many that highlight the persistent problems of artefact smuggling. For his role in these affairs, sentencing guidelines estimate that he could likely have to serve three to five years behind bars as well as possible denaturalisation, sending him back to the very country that he so prolifically robbed.
His sentencing date is currently scheduled for 12 June 2025."
No comments:
Post a Comment