Ministry of Antiquities Receives 80 Monuments From Belgium

Ahram Online (Nevine Al-Aref)

With photos.

The story started in April 2010 when Customs at Brussels Airport caught an Egyptian woman trying to smuggle 80 genuine objects concealed inside two large replica Egyptian statues.

The objects were confiscated by the Belgian police while Brussels National Museum verified their authenticity. According to routine, the museum referred the case to a Brussels court and Egypt succeeded in obtaining a court order that the artefasts be retrieved.

AllAfrica.com

Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said that a committee has been formed to receive the artifacts that were smuggled by an Egyptian woman inside two wooden replicas of ancient statues to Brussels in 2010.

He added that a series of legal procedures and measures as well as negotiations with the Belgian side were carried out since then until the monuments have been handed over to the Egyptian embassy in Brussels.