Swiss authorities have seized cultural relics looted from Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, as well as from Libya and Yemen, which were being stored in Geneva’s free ports. The free ports provide highly secured warehouses where basically anything can be kept tax-free with few questions asked. The customs office contacted the cultural authorities in Bern whose expert confirmed the artefacts were genuine, prompting the start of criminal proceedings in February. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Swiss authorities have confiscated artefacts the Geneva prosecutor’s office says were stolen from Yemen, Libya and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. Last month French finance minister Michel Sapin complained that Swiss, and other, free ports were a “weak link” in countering terrorist financing.

Source: The Guardian December 03, 2016 02:15 UTC