Dakar, Senegal (AP) is the largest piece of Mars, which has ever been found on Earth, a piece of £ 54 (25 kilograms), which has raised more than $ 5 million last month at a New York auction to set a world record.
However, in the Niger West African people, where the Rusty-Red Rock was discovered in the Sahara Desert, officials opened an investigation into what they call “illegal international trade”, claiming that it could have been smuggled from the outside.
Here’s what to know about a meteorite and a legal dispute:
How was he found
Sotheby’s stated that a rock named NWA 16788 was inflated from the Martian surface with a huge stroke of asteroid and drove 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) to Earth.
According to the auctional palace in the Sahara, Northwest Niger, he was found in the Sahara. His identity was not revealed. Last month, the buyer’s identity was also not.
Meteorite hunting is growing in the dry Sahara countries such as Niger. Although meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, the Sahara has become the most important place for their discovery in part due to their favorable climate preservation.
Hunters often look for space rocks that can be sold to collectors or scientists. The rare and most expensive is from Mars and the Moon.
According to the Heritage Academic Journal, the rock was sold to an international seller until it entered a private kitchen in Italy. Last year, a team of researchers at the University of Florence investigated the rock to learn more about its structure and where it came from before falling to the ground, the publication states.
The meteorite was also briefly exhibited in Rome until it was seen in the public in New York last month at auction.
Why Niger is investigating
After sales, Niger raised questions about how the meteorite was auctioned.
The Niger government published a study last month to determine the circumstances of the discovery and sale of a meteorite, saying it was “similar to illegal international trade.”
Last week, President Abdouhamane Tiani suspended the export of “precious stones, semi -precious stones and meteorites across the country,” trying to ensure their traceability.
Sotheby’s stated that a statement sent by Associated Press was exported from Niger and transported to all related international procedures.
“Like everything we sell, at each stage of our journey, all the necessary documents were in order in accordance with the best practice and the requirements of related countries.” The statement has been read.
Niger’s authorities did not answer AP questions.
What does international law say
Although there are global agreements to regulate cultural artefacts, it is unclear whether meteorites are related.
Patty Gerstenblith, a cultural heritage lawyer and an expert on illegal trade, said that meteorites could be considered cultural property under the UNESCO Convention on the Cultural Property, which Niger and the US ratified by the US.
But Gerstenblith stated
“If the meteorite was not stolen and if it was properly declared to be imported into the US, it would not seem that Niger could recover a meteorite,” she said.
For some countries, such as Morocco, one of the leading meteorites sources in the international market, restitution is needed if objects are detected in their territory. However, the execution was complicated due to the huge desert areas and unofficial retail chains.