(By Denis Greenan).
Carabinieri art police have
tracked down and recovered items from the Castellani collection
of precious gold jewelry that were stolen at Easter 2013 from
the National Etruscan Museum at Rome's Villa Giulia, officials
said Thursday.
The objects were crafted in the 19th century, in part using
material from the excavation of ancient Etruscan, Greek and Rome
sites.
"It's a great day, now the gold will return to the museum,"
said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
Officials said the Carabinieri's crack Cultural Heritage
Protection Unit - one of the world's most famous divisions of
art police - had managed to recover 23 of the the 27 precious
items of jewelry worth a total of three million euros stolen
from Villa Giulia in April 2013.
The operation led to the identification of the band of
people who allegedly carried out the robbery and those who
allegedly received the items.
Six people have been notified that the investigation is
over, a move that frequently comes before a trial request.
The case was handled by Giancarlo Capaldo, coordinator of
the crimes against cultural heritage group of the Rome
prosecutor's office, and Tiziana Cugini, the prosecutor heading
up the probe.
Judicial sources said a rich Russian woman commissioned the
theft of the jewels, which went through the hands of a Roman
antiques dealer who acted as middle man.
Capaldo and Culture Ministry Secretary-General Antonella
Recchia revealed the details of partial results - the probe is
ongoing - of the long investigation which led to 23 of tghe 27
stolen objects being recovered.
The deal, which was meant to take the jewels abroad, went
belly up, they said, amid the loud media clamour sparked by the
heist.
The woman, identified in the first days of the probe, was
stopped and ID'd at Fiumicino Airport as she was leaving for St
Petersburg.
Accompanied by the daughter of the antiques dealer, was
carrying a catalogue of the Castellani jewels and had on her
i-Phone some photos of the museum room where the theft took
place, with all the details of the surveillance system.
Once the deal went south the thieves contacted local
fences, Capaldo and Recchia told reporters.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
