The pre-Columbian treasures consisted of 24 ceramic objects and 24 wooden figurines, which had been discovered by the Federal Customs Administration at a client’s premises at the Geneva free port during an inspection in 2016.
The objects had been described in the owner’s inventory as personal wooden objects.
Tests confirmed that they were pre-Columbian objects from the Chancay civilization from the coastal region of Peru, dating between 1200-1470AD.
Such objects feature on the red list of endangered Peruvian antiques established by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).External link They are protected by national legislation and international agreements and are vulnerable to illicit trafficking.
Alerted by the Federal Customs Administration, the Geneva Office of the Attorney General had opened an investigation and ordered the seizure of the items. A court decision for their return has now come into force.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Can the art market regulate itself against illicit activity?
This content was published on
A group of Geneva-based art dealers and specialists are trying to raise awareness about business risks and to repair the sector’s damaged reputation.
Experts help Geneva free port crack down on stolen loot
This content was published on
“We cannot wait for the Swiss customs to deploy sufficient people to carry out checks on artefacts stored here. It’s too risky, so we are introducing our own measures,” David Hiler, president of Geneva Free Port, told reporters on Wednesday. From summer, anyone wanting to store ancient artefacts in the sprawling warehouse facility in southwest Geneva…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.