Paintings worth over $7,000 illegally imported to Belarus return to recipient

Three expensive paintings that illegally entered Belarus from Switzerland returned to the recipient after the customs duties were paid.

The works of art were brought into the country via the Belarusian-Latvian border in a truck, the State Customs Committee reported. The vehicle was inspected at one of the Minsk customs clearance points. The paintings, lost among other goods, were not listed in the documents. And it was not for nothing that they attracted attention - according to the expert's conclusions, all three paintings are recognized as cultural values.

Elena Cherepovich, Chief Inspector of the Minsk Regional Customs:

"According to the expert opinion, one of them depicts the Virgin Mary. The work of art was painted by the Italian artist Onorio Marinari and dates back to the second half of the 17th - early 18th centuries. The average cost of the painting on the world market is more than 5 thousand US dollars. The total cost of the works of art was more than 7 thousand US dollars. Based on the fact of providing false information about the goods, the Minsk Regional Customs initiated an administrative process against the carrier in accordance with Part 1 of Article 15.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus; an investigation is underway."