According to a VNA reporter in London, on the afternoon of September 13 local time, in London, a ceremony took place to receive a bronze statue of the Goddess Durga with four arms, dating from the 7th century, about 2 meters long and weighing about 250 kg, from the family of illegal British antiques dealer Douglas Latchford.
The statue, recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world heritage site, was stolen in 2008 from the My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam Province. This was the result of a long-term investigation by the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office into the dealer Douglas Latchford in an effort to combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities, as well as active coordination between HSI and the London Police to return the antiquities to the country from which they were stolen.
Attending the reception, the Vietnamese side included Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long, Minister Counsellor To Minh Thu and a number of Embassy officials. On the US side, there were HSI Agent JP Labbat, HSI Agent Robert Mancene and Mr. Tim Hemker, HSI representative of the US Embassy in the UK. On the London Police side, there was Inspector Sophie Hayes and colleagues from the Art and Antiquities Investigation Unit.
Earlier, on June 22, the US Department of Justice announced the settlement of a civil lawsuit, confiscating $12 million from the sale of Southeast Asian antiquities stolen by antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford. In the announcement, the department said that in 2019, dealer Latchford was indicted for conspiracy to commit organized fraud and other crimes, including selling stolen Cambodian antiquities on the international art market for decades.
Mr. Latchford falsified documents of origin, invoices, and shipping documents, as well as documents indicating the country of origin and year of excavation of the artwork. Between 2003 and 2020, the dealer Latchford received more than $12 million in payments for selling stolen and smuggled antiquities from Southeast Asia to buyers and dealers in the United States, then transferred at least $12 million to a bank account in the Isle of Jersey (UK). In 2008 and 2009, Latchford used the proceeds from the sale of stolen and smuggled antiquities to purchase a bronze statue of the Goddess Durga.
After Mr. Latchford died in 2020, his daughter, Julia Copleston, inherited more than 125 gold statues and relics that authorities say were stolen from Cambodia, as well as money. In a settlement, Ms. Copleston agreed to return $12 million and also agreed to hand over a bronze statue of the Goddess Durga, which her father had bought with illegal funds and is currently stored in the UK.
Conservation company staff are carrying out the process of packaging the statue for handover to Vietnam. Photo: Hai Van.
According to information HSI extracted from Mr. Latchford’s bank records and emails, he traveled to Vietnam in November 2008 to buy a work of art and instructed his bank employees to deposit approximately $2 million into the bank account of someone with a Vietnamese email address. In January 2009, Mr. Latchford emailed an antiques dealer a photo below of a bronze statue of the Goddess Durga lying on its back, still covered in dirt and minerals, as if it had just been excavated. Mr. Latchford identified My Son, Vietnam, as the location where the Goddess Durga was found.
In the announcement, HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said Mr. Latchford was a dealer in stolen antiquities, with multiple illegal transactions spanning decades and profiting millions of dollars from buyers and dealers in the United States.
Immediately after receiving information from the Vietnamese Embassy in the US, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and British authorities to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies about the statue. On August 8, the Embassy worked with the London Police Inspectorate to share information and discuss procedures for transferring the bronze statue to Vietnam. On August 16, the Embassy surveyed the current status of the four-armed Goddess Durga bronze statue and worked with the representative of the current owner of the statue, the storage and transportation company, and the statue's archaeology and restoration experts to make a preliminary assessment and develop a plan for receiving and transporting it.
Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long signs to receive the statue of Goddess Durga from HSI and London Police. Photo: Hai Van.
At the reception ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long expressed his emotion and gratitude for witnessing the very special moment when a precious national treasure was returned to Vietnam. On behalf of the Vietnamese Government, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long thanked HSI and the London Police for their effective coordination so that the reception ceremony could take place smoothly in the shortest time; emphasizing that the return of the statue took place in a very special context, when Vietnam and the UK just celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations (September 11) and Vietnam and the US just upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership (September 10) during the recent visit of President Joe Biden. This event will contribute to deepening the relationship between the parties.
Tim Hemker, representing the United States, said that transnational criminal organizations are constantly looking for ways to steal cultural artifacts, which pose a significant threat to the cultures that own these valuable items. When sold on the black market, these artifacts are never appreciated for their true value. Therefore, today's return is a beautiful and proud moment. HSI will continue its investigative efforts to uncover the illegal trafficking routes of antiquities and return them to their countries of origin.
On the London Police side, Inspector Sophie Hayes said the return of the Goddess Durga statue to Vietnam was a special event. Security investigation units and special agents have worked tirelessly for many years to recover the stolen cultural property. Inspector Haynes also stressed that this is a special occasion to celebrate the 2023 friendship year, when the UK and Vietnam celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.
According to information from agent JP. Labbat at the ceremony, based on documents recovered from groups of antiquities thieves and smugglers, the Goddess Durga statue was initially offered for sale to a buyer in the US for 20 million USD, but was later unsuccessful because the buyer withdrew the deal. Many years later, in a document in the UK, antiquities smugglers raised the value of the statue to 35 million USD on the black market. Agent Labbat said that this is a very rare and valuable statue, over 1,300 years old, and needs to be preserved and stored very specially.
The bronze statue is currently preserved in a special room in London and is in a relatively complete state if observed with the naked eye from the outside. Archaeologists assess that based on the costume and jewelry on the statue's body, this could be a statue of a queen or empress. On the statue's body, there are some chips and cracks in the position of the two ears, some fingers and right foot.
After receiving the handover, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said the Embassy will closely coordinate with domestic authorities, storage and transportation companies, and insurance to safely transport the statue to Vietnam.
According to News
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