Spanish police have arrested an antique dealer from Barcelona, accusing him of illegally selling an ancient Egyptian artifact for 190,000 euros using forged documents.
The police seized a bust that experts estimate dates back to approximately 1450 BC (the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III), making it about 3,500 years old.
The ancient artifact was acquired by a Swiss gallery and exhibited at the annual European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht, the Netherlands. During the fair, it came to light that the bust had illegally entered Europe and was purchased from a Spanish gallery owner involved in the trade of antiquities in conflict zones, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East. The statue was eventually handed over to the Dutch police.
Investigators determined that the piece was acquired in July 2015 by an official in charge of an institution in Barcelona from a Bangkok-based international company. The arrested man attempted to conceal the artifact's true origin by presenting a document containing information about several antiques, where the information about the artifact was replaced with data about another similar object matching the description.
The Spanish antique dealer faces charges of document forgery, smuggling of antiquities, and money laundering.
Cairo has been seeking the return of illegally exported ancient Egyptian artifacts for many years, negotiating with European capitals for the transfer of valuable artifacts to Egypt. After 2011, the country toughened criminal penalties for the smuggling of antiquities.
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