|
Sana'a: A Frenchman who was on trial yesterday on charges of smuggling antique artefacts from Yemen was released after receiving a guarantee from the French embassy.
Judge of the east Sana'a court Abdul Aziz Al Jarash prevented reporters and photographers from covering the first session.
"You cannot attend the sessions, you cannot take photos, you can only attend the session of reading the verdict," the judge told the reporters.
"I do not want to defame the accused through media, he is innocent until proved guilty," the judge added.
The antiquities prosecutor accused the Frenchman of attempting to smuggle antique artefacts which include a bronze statute worth about 20 million Yemeni riyals (Dh369,620).
Authorities found 31 objects in his luggage, including 15 ancient coins and eight bronze statuettes that appear to date back to the 4th century.
The Frenchman, Yves Lebourgeois, confessed to having received the artefacts from an employee in the same company he works for, but he said he was not aware of the Yemeni law on antiquities.
He told the court he accepted the pieces from the employee, identified as Anwar, as a gift and gave him $400 (Dh1,468) also as a gift, not payment. The judge ordered an investigation with the employee.
The court took into consideration the health of the man who said he was suffering from a heart condition.
Last week, the Frenchman, who is working with a foreign liquefied gas company, was arrested at the International airport of Sana'a with the antiquities in his possession.
|
