Royal gift or ‘stolen’ gem? Calls for UK to return 500 carat Great Star of Africa diamond’stolen’ by UK, officials say
“This is a criminal offence, no stone should ever come back into the UK without proper protection,” a foreign office spokesperson said
The stone passed through a network of US and UK agents, who are legally bound to return it to the continent
The UK has been accused of “looting” part of a continent’s heritage and has come in for a fierce backlash
A British museum has said it needs more evidence to back up allegations it illegally returned a huge diamond to the continent with no proof it came from a public display by the Louvre Museum, in Paris.
The 3.5 carat (7.5 gram) stone – called the Great Star of Africa – is known to have originated from the Louvre.
It was sold by Sotheby’s around two decades ago and bought by the UK diamond expert and president of the Kimberley Process, David Sater.
UK museum chief refuses to say if it’s a genuine gem or an “offical gem”
It is now worth more than £2.5 million ($3.6m) but the museum has refused to say if it was a genuine gem or an ‘offical’ one.
The claim came after it emerged that the museum’s president of the Kimberley Process was said to be in possession of the stone, that he’stole’ it, while refusing to reveal where or how it was taken.
In a letter written to the UK ambassador to the OIC (Organisation for International Criminal Court), he wrote: “The stone is in my possession, it has not been stolen.
“A criminal offence has been passed (and has been enacted) by the UN (United Nations Convention against Transnational Crime), no stone should ever be returned to a jurisdiction which has not made every effort to prove its legitimacy and authenticity.”
He added: “I have no knowledge of how the stone came into your custody. It is in the possession of the (International Association of Diamond Producers) IADP, and is with their (Kimberley Process) representatives.”
It is now thought to be the largest diamond ever cut. If it is a genuine gem then it is in very poor condition and could face auctioning, but to
