ZURICH: Switzerland's highest court has rejected Italy's request for the return of an oil painting attributed by some to Leonardo Da Vinci, ruling no Swiss laws were broken when the work was brought over the border.
An Italian investigation into possible tax crimes and insurance fraud uncovered evidence that led police in 2015 to the painting in a vault in the Swiss town of Lugano, a lakeside banking centre in the Italian-speaking south where many Italians have crossed the border to deposit assets. The Swiss verdict clears the way for the work's return to Cecchini, from Pesaro. Cecchini's attorney did not respond to email and telephone requests for comment on Wednesday . Italy's Justice Ministry declined to comment.Italy demanded its seizure on grounds it had been trafficked out of the country illegally to Switzerland.
"Subject to any other international agreements, no state is required to apply foreign public law within its borders," the Federal Tribunal said in a statement.