PRIZED COFFIN TO RETURN TO TURKEY
GENEVA Lawyers say a Roman Empire-era coffin depicting the 12 labours of Hercules is set to go home to Turkey, ending a legal battle over a prized artifact that mysteriously turned up in Geneva’s secretive customs-office warehouse years ago.
The Inanna Art Services, a private cultural goods importer that had legal possession of the three-ton marble sarcophagus, had tried for months to block the restitution before deciding two weeks ago “to contribute to the return” by abandoning its efforts in Swiss courts, said Didier Bottge, a lawyer for the importer.
From his clients’ viewpoint, “the case is closed,” Bottge said Tuesday.
The planned handover is expected within months.