Major haul
A huge cache of stolen Egyptian antiquities has come home. Nevine El-Aref reports
A large crowd of journalists, photographers, archaeologists and police officials descended on Cairo Airport last Sunday, hoping to catch sight of some of the 300 artifacts coming home on an EgyptAir flight from Geneva.
The cache, weighing in at 1300 kg, was the result of a massive antiquities smuggling bust involving the former head of the National Democratic Party's Giza office, Tarek El-Sweissi, along with 30 other people. The recovered artifacts, which span the spectrum from the prehistoric to the Pharaonic, Hellenic and Graeco- Roman eras, were safely packed in 11 wooden boxes, and included two mummies, several sarcophagi, as well as statues, mummy masks and other items.
A special exhibit showcasing the artifacts is being planned for the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. First, however, the collection was turned over to the Administrative Control Authority to be used as evidence in the smuggling trial involving El- Sweissi and the other defendants, who are Egyptian, Lebanese, Moroccan, German, Canadian and Swiss.
The case began after state security raided El- Seweissi's villa in Al-Mansouriya on the outskirts of Giza, after receiving a tip regarding alleged illegal activities taking place there. They found a number of genuine artifacts, and ended up arresting El-Seweissi. Two months later, as part of separate investigations into a suspected theft, Swiss police raided a duty-free warehouse in Geneva and seized 300 artifacts.
Investigations revealed clear connections between El-Seweissi and the stolen artifacts in Switzerland. Egyptian Prosecutor-General Maher Abdel- Wahed has described the case as one of the highest-level corruption cases in recent Egyptian history.
According to Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the Egyptian defendants took part in illegal excavations at several archaeological sites, and proceeded to export the antiquities they found by passing them off as replicas from the Khan Al-Khalili bazaar. During the first round of the trial, the prosecutor-general accused El-Sweissi of bribing government officials to gain access to Cairo Airport's VIP gate, in order to circumvent luggage inspection procedures. He was also charged with laundering LE10 million, $6 million, 112,000 Euros and 600,000 Swiss francs.
Culture Minister Farouk Hosni described the case as a clear example of positive cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland in the fight against antiquities smugglers. Switzerland is a major hub in the international art and antiquities trade, and the case is the first practical implementation of a 2002 security accord signed between the two countries to prevent illegal trafficking in historical objects.
Eighteen of the accused defendants are currently standing trial, while 13 remain at large.
C a p t i o n :
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 4 - 10 December 2003 (Issue No. 667)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/667/eg7.htm