Islanders flock to Charlottetown Flea Market for affordable finds amid rising costs | SaltWireROME - The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday ruled in favour of Italy's long-standing demand that the Getty Villa Museum in the United States return an ancient Greek statue which Rome claims was smuggled out of the country decades ago.
But Italy always believed it was smuggled out of the country and acquired illegally and has made several attempts to recover the statue, including through international police authorities and diplomacy. It added Italian authorities had demonstrated that the statue was part of the country's cultural heritage and that the Getty Trust"had disregarded the requirements of the law, at the very least negligently, or perhaps in bad faith" by buying the piece without proof of its legitimate provenance.
"In its ruling, the European Court has unequivocally recognised the rights of the Italian state," Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said in a statement.