French suspect in smuggling case released on bail

Lawyer of French suspect accused of smuggling ancient artifacts out of Yemen covering his client’s face from cameras while leaving court. The judge presiding over the case issued a warning against publishing any pictures of the defendant.

The Eastern Court of the capital released the 58 year-old French citizen, Yves Lebourgeois, accused of attempting to   smuggle Yemeni ancient artifacts, according to Saba news agency. The court approved in its first trial session last Monday to release him on bail in addition to ensuring the French consulate in Sana’a to keep the suspect under house arrest in Yemen and not leaving until the end of the trial. 
 
The court also ordered investigations with the airline company that had carried the ancient antiquities in one of its planes, as well as investigating with officer Anwar of the HAWK Company on relinquishing the antiquities of the country. 
 
During the trial, Lebourgeois begged Judge Abdul-Aziz al-Garash to release him for health reasons of cardiac disease. He also admitted that he took these relics pieces as a gift from a Yemeni citizen from the Shabwa   governorate in return of $40. 
 
Judge al-Garash prevented the journalists of taking any photos of the French suspect and threatened any newspaper or journalist that publishes photos of the French suspect to be tried. However, a journalist covering the issue said that it is important to cover such a story that other foreign people do not fall in the same trap. 
 
Lebourgeois says he regretted what he did and called all foreign companies working in Yemen to inform their employees to respect the country and not take any ancient antiquities from any one or to take them out of the country. 
 
The lawyer of the suspect told the Judge that the most of the antiquities that his client got them as a gift were fake. 
 
At the end of the trial session, the Judge postponed the case to the next Monday and ordered to bring the seized pieces in the next session.   
 
The General prosecution of the capital Sana’a started investigating the French expert accused of trying to smuggle 30 pieces of valuable antiquities, last Saturday. 
 
Yves Lebourgeois works for Yemen LNG Company and told investigators that he had received the antiquities from a Yemeni friend and that he intended to take them with him to Paris. 
 
Answering the questions of the investigators, Lebourgeois said he was fully aware that the French authorities might capture him if attempted to smuggle the antiquities, adding that he knew that smuggling the pieces was a risky endeavor. 
 
The interrogation session held in the Sana’a was attended by the French consular and two French translators. 
 
The 30 items were detected with Lebourgeois   upon arrival in Sana’a Airport from Balhaf on the Company chartered flight—the local means of transportation from the field to Sana’a last Thursday night. 
 
The pieces included eight bronze statutes five stone statutes, a head of a statute,   15 old coins dating back 2000 years, a crown of an ancient Yemeni king and three stone stamps of three ancient Yemeni states. 
 
In a statement issued by LNG on May 4, the company said this act was related only to an individual’s behavior and decision, confirming the   company’s position towards the preservation of the cultural heritage of Yemen. 
 
“While investigations are still ongoing from the side of the Authorities as well as from Yemen LNG, it can be confirmed that a French expatriate working with one of the Company’s subcontractors was arrested by the authorities with items which are categorized as archaeological artifact,” the statement added. 
 
The company further mentioned that if it is confirmed that these pieces are genuine archaeological artifacts, this action is a violation of Yemeni law and is an act with which Yemen LNG and its subcontractors thoroughly disagree. 
 
According to the almotamarnet website, this attempt for smuggling Yemeni antiquities to foreign countries by foreign experts working for the same company in Yemen is the forth of its kind since the beginning of 2008 year. 
 
An Italian expert works for the same company was detained for having seven sculptures on January 24, 2008. Another French expert was detained having four sculptures on January 26, 2008 and a British expert was detained hiding a rare sculpture for a man standing on a small base on March 4, 2008. 
 
However Kahled Ishaq public relations of LNG affirmed that the company has never been informed about previous smuggling attempts conducted by any of its employees or experts. 
 
Yemen LNG   in its statement confirmed desire for preserving archaeological sites and said it employs four full-time field-based archaeologists who are working to ensure that archaeological sites are protected, documented and preserved. 
 
“A number of these discoveries have already been featured in a multi-sectoral cooperation between Yemen LNG, the Ministries of Oil and Minerals and Culture and the two specialized institutions, namely the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the French Centre for Social Studies and Archeology (CEFAS),” said the statement. 
 
The man was arrested Thursday and prosecutors ordered him be detained for seven days pending investigation. He could face up to five years in jail if the court convicts him of attempting to smuggle ancient artifacts. 

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