Two convictions and over fifteen prescriptions in Rome as part of the trial linked to the theft and trafficking of works of art that took place in villas and noble residences, including a second-century Roman statue stolen in 2010 from Roberto’s villa on the Appian Way Benigni and his wife Nicoletta Braschi. The tenth section of the Rome court sentenced the Catalan antiques dealer Jaume Peix Bagot, who according to the prosecution had bought the work, to 4 and a half years, and another Spanish defendant to 3 years.
The statue, after a few years, was found in Spain by the Carabinieri for the protection of cultural heritage and re-entrusted to the Oscar-winning actor. The judge ordered the confiscation and return of all the works stolen by the organization, as well as compensation of 20 thousand euros for Benigni. Some ‘coups’ were also scored at Villa Torlonia, Palazzo Giustiniani Odescalchi and the gardens of Villa Pamphili, Villa Borghese, Villa Medici and Palazzo Vitelleschi.
”The carabinieri must be congratulated for the work they have done in a complex investigation which also involved the Spanish and German authorities – affirms the lawyer Michele Gentiloni Silveri, lawyer of Benigni and Braschi -. Today’s sentence reaffirms that the stolen sculpture will return to its rightful owner”.
Source-www.adnkronos.com