Italy has stopped the prosecution of former Getty Museum curator

[Евгений]

Italian police have stopped investigating the case against the former curator of the American Getty Museum Marion True (Marion True), the Associated Press on Wednesday, October 13. True, who oversaw many years antique Front Getty Museum, has been accused of illegally exported from Italy's cultural treasures.

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As explained to the Italian lawyers True, investigation into their client terminated due to expiration of statute of limitations. It is expected that in the near future will be decided by and the termination of the prosecution of American art dealer Robert Hecht (Robert Hecht), held the accused in the same case as the True.

Marion True has become the focus of loud international scandal in the early 2000's, when it became clear that dozens of ancient artifacts from the Getty Museum have dubious origins. According to Italian law, in force since 1939, with the country banned the export of any art without the sanction of the state. A similar ban is registered in the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Monuments, which the U.S. signed in 1983. However, private collectors and several museums, as it turned out, evaded the ban, pointing out that exported from Italy works of art were discovered before 1939 and purchased from antique dealers.

An investigation carried out by Italian law enforcement agencies, as well as internal audit found that Marion True was aware of dubious origin items purchased by the Getty Museum, but knowingly gave permission for their purchase. Following Italy's similar claims against the Getty Museum has brought, and Greece.

The criminal case against Marion True was instituted in Italy in 2004. True, the then curator of the ancient department of the Getty, was accused of illegally exported from the territory of 35 works of art. A second defendant in this case was an American art dealer Robert Hecht, who helped True, according to the investigation, issue the export values.

In 2005, Marion True resigned from his post as curator of the ancient department of the Getty, and officially her departure was not related to the scandal because of the exportation of cultural property. It was announced that True resigned due to the fact that it was unable to explain where it came from the funds to buy houses in one of the Greek islands. The charges leveled against her by Italian law enforcement agencies charged with the illegal exportation of cultural property to True categorically rejected.

In the midst of a scandal Getty Museum, the Metropolitan and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts have agreed to return to Italy and Greece, dozens of exhibits from their collections, the legality of the acquisition of which was doubted. However, most controversial works of art remain in the collections of American museums.
http://lenta.ru/news/2010/10/14/italy/