A 14th Century BC Egyptian sculpture, the Head of Amenhotep III smuggled out in the early 1990s has finally been returned to Egypt.
The head was smuggled out by Jonathan Tokeley-Perry who was convicted to a six year custodial sentence in 1997 of illegal smuggling. It is known that the head was diguised as a reproduction before being shipped to the US via Switzerland and the UK.
Dr Zahi Hawass was instrumental in bringing the head back to Egypt in a complex case involving two separate criminal proceedings in the UK and US.
Karen Sanig, Head of Art Law at Mishcon de Reya says:
“In this case the determination of Dr Zahi Hawass backed by the Egyptian Government enabled a successful resolution without recourse to litigation. Other countries affected by looting and trafficking of their cultural heritage property often have neither the resources of the Arab Republic of Egypt nor the dedication of its most important archaeologist, Dr Hawass. However the return of the Head does show that sheer persistence pays dividends in this area.”