CAIRO – 13 February 2021: Anyone who will steal an antiquity or parts of it will be punished with life imprisonment, and a fine of not less than one million Egyptian pounds, and not more than 5 million Egyptian pounds, according to recent amendments to the Egyptian Antiquities Law. The amendments approved by the Egyptian parliament stipulated that the punishment will apply to the violators, who intend to smuggle the antiquity, whether it is registered as state-owned, or prepared for registration, or extracted in archaeological excavations run by the ministry or part of the mission and universities excavation works. The penalty shall be temporary hard labor for anyone who dug secretly or conceals an antiquity or part of it with the intention of smuggling, and in all cases the antiquity will be confiscated, as well as the equipment, tools, machinery, and cars used in the crime. 2 - Carrying out excavation works with the intention of obtaining antiquities without a license, and in this case the excavation site is reserved until the Council conducts excavation work at the expense of the perpetrator. The penalty in the two previous clauses shall be temporary hard labor and a fine of not less than one million pounds and not more than two million pounds, if the perpetrator is an employee of the ministry or the council or the competent body, or officials, employees or workers of excavation missions, or the contractors.

Source: Egypt Today February 13, 2021 12:00 UTC