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Stolen De Chirico Dispute Moves to Court as Goria Challenges Prosecutor’s Dismissal

Prosecutors cite 2022 cultural‑property laws that constrain charges despite investigators’ allegations of a restored resale scheme.

Overview

  • A hearing is set for April 2026 at the Ivrea court after Amedeo Goria opposed a request to dismiss the case.
  • Goria says Giorgio de Chirico’s La storia di Venezia was stolen from his father in 1969 and later sold at Christie’s for £35,000, which he argues was far below its value.
  • Carabinieri reports allege intermediary Marco Germasi knowingly handled the work, had it restored to obscure its origin, secured certification, and reintroduced it to the market.
  • The Fondazione De Chirico rejected the painting in 2010 as altered, then certified it after further restoration in 2013, and it entered the market in 2015.
  • Investigators sought searches, records from Christie’s Milan, and a UK rogatory for possible receiving stolen goods, money laundering, and illicit export, but the prosecutor moved for dismissal due to offences added to the code only in 2022.