Chappell, Duncan; Polk, Kenneth --- "Corrupt Practices in the Global Trade in Art and Antiquities" [2011] ELECD 1000; in Graycar, Adam; Smith, G. Russell (eds), "Handbook of Global Research and Practice in Corruption" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Handbook of Global Research and Practice in Corruption

Editor(s): Graycar, Adam; Smith, G. Russell

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849805018

Section: Chapter 13

Section Title: Corrupt Practices in the Global Trade in Art and Antiquities

Author(s): Chappell, Duncan; Polk, Kenneth

Number of pages: 14

Extract:

13 Corrupt practices in the global trade in
art and antiquities
Duncan Chappell1 and Kenneth Polk2


INTRODUCTION: THE `GHIYA CONSPIRACY'

In June 2003, following an intensive undercover operation, Indian police
in the city of Jaipur raided the home of a wealthy businessman, Vaman
Narayan Ghiya. A search of the house revealed a set of secret cupboards
in which were concealed hundreds of colour photographs of ancient
Indian sculptures. The sculptures, many hacked away crudely from temple
walls and with missing limbs or heads, were displayed haphazardly near
the sites from which they had been removed. The police also discovered
a large number of auction catalogues from Sotheby's and Christies, the
international auction houses located in London and New York (Keefe,
2007; Watson, 1998).
Based on these discoveries, as well as further finds across the country of
hordes of looted artefacts hidden at various properties owned by Ghiya,
the police concluded that they had uncovered a sophisticated antiquities
trafficking operation with links to auction houses and private collectors
in Europe and North America. Their subsequent interrogation of Ghiya
confirmed this suspicion.
Ghiya admitted to heading an international business which had con-
ducted its activities without disruption over three decades, illegally export-
ing thousands of plundered antiquities to overseas buyers using an
elaborate laundering process. Most of the goods were shipped through
a free trade zone established in Geneva, Switzerland, where Ghiya main-
tained three shell corporations. These companies would trade objects
between themselves to establish a false provenance for the ...