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worldwide, looting was rampant at ancient Roman ruins and elsewhere in
Italy.

The prosecutors believe Becchina had been buying items from looters and
selling them to dealers around the world.

Illegally excavated items are known to have been auctioned in London and New
York, and some have been purchased by museums and individuals in various
countries, including Japan, they said.

The Japanese antique dealer in question is based in London and trades
extensively in Europe.

The Italian prosecution sources said they suspect the Japanese dealer sold
items to the Miho Museum in Koka, Shiga Prefecture, which was earlier cited
by Italian prosecutors as having contraband Italian antiquities in its
collection.

The Japanese dealer, who spoke on condition of anonymity over the phone with
The Yomiuri Shimbun, said he has had business relations with Becchina since
1989.

The Japanese dealer denied he knew that the items offered by Becchina might
have been illegally excavated, noting, "I trusted Becchina completely when I
bought items from him."

He declined to go into the specifics of his relationship with the Miho
Museum, which opened in 1997, but said he "bought some pieces on behalf of
several Japanese art collectors, who assisted the Miho Museum with its
collection." The dealer declined to say whether those pieces included ones
sold by Becchina.

The Italian prosecution sources, however, said some Polaroid photos seized
in the raids depicted items the Japanese dealer bought for Miho Museum.

Another Italian antiquities dealer, Giacomo Medici, who was a business rival
of Becchina, was arrested in January 1997 and sentenced by a district court
in Italy to 10 years in prison for smuggling ill-gotten artworks.

During investigations into Medici's smuggling charges, photos showing items
that were displayed at the Miho Museum also were found, the sources said.
(Jan. 16, 2007)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/