Description
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Illicit Trade in Art and Antiquities: International Recovery and Criminal and Civil Liability by Ian Smith Janet Ulph
This new text provides practical guidance on the modern law relating to cultural objects which have been stolen looted or illegally exported. It explains how English criminal law including money laundering measures applies to those who deal in cultural objects in a domestic or international setting. It discusses the recovery of works of art and antiquities in the English courts where there are competing claims between private individuals or between individuals and the UK Government or a foreign State. Significantly this text also provides an exposition of the law where a British law enforcement agency or a foreign law enforcement agency or court is involved in the course of criminal or civil proceedings in an English court. The growth of relevant international instruments including those devoted to the protection of mankinds cultural heritage and those concerned with money laundering and serious organised crime informs this discussion. The UKs ratification of the UNESCO Convention on Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970 in 2002 is considered. The problems posed in attempting to curb trafficking in art and antiquities are explored and the effectiveness of the current law is analysed.