Former mayor of Oristano, Giorgio Gaviano, has been charged with receiving stolen cultural property.
The investigation was conducted by the Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza (Fiamme Gialle) in collaboration with the Administrative Police Division – Weapons Office of the Oristano Police Headquarters. It all began with routine checks on the possession and collection license of certain weapons at the former mayor's home. On that occasion, a failure to comply with the requirements regarding the periodic submission of medical certification was discovered, and over forty artifacts were located that, according to investigators, may be of archaeological interest.
In particular, a discrepancy emerged between what investigators found and what was reported to the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape. "A small bronze statue, presumably depicting a Nuragic-era bull , and nine prehistoric obsidian artifacts dating back to the 4th-3rd millennium BC were seized and handed over to the Superintendency's experts who intervened during the judicial police operations," according to a statement from the Guardia di Finanza.
"The experts' technical-scientific report established the archaeological interest of the finds." Hence the complaint against the former mayor for receiving stolen cultural goods.
Gaviano, now 87 and with some health problems, is almost surprised by the developments in the story. "I was the one who handed that artifact over to the finance police," he comments, "and I immediately pointed out that it wasn't authentic. The other objects are obsidian arrowheads." The investigation is open, the preliminary investigation is underway, and many aspects need to be clarified, from the authenticity of the artifacts to any liability.