Several traffickers of Dacian bracelets and other patrimony objects escaped jail time after the limitation period for their charges expired.

Their trial began ten years ago, and the first court ruled prison sentences. However, most of them were acquitted by the Court of Appeal, which said that the limitation period for their charges expired, local Digi24 reported.

Ten years ago, several Romanian and foreign citizens were sent to trial for stealing and trafficking on the black market several archaeological treasures from the Sarmizegetusa Regia site, between 1997 and 2007. They were accused of having been associated for committing crimes, unauthorized detection and excavation in archaeological sites, theft of cultural goods, not respecting the regime of protecting certain goods, and blackmail. Nine spiral gold bracelets were recovered during the criminal investigation. The Ministry of Culture had initially requested damages of EUR 6.6 million in this case, according to local Adevarul.

In 2015, the Deva Court ruled prison sentences of between two and six years for nine of the defendants, as well as the payment of damages worth almost EUR 1.4 million. The tenth defendant was acquitted.

Last Friday, the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal stopped the criminal proceedings or acquitted the defendants, after finding that the limitation period for their charges expired. Only one of the defendants, namely Calin Corhan, got a suspended sentence of three years.

As regards the civil aspects, the court partially upheld the action brought by the Romanian State through the Ministry of Culture, removing the obligation to payment for most defendants. The decision is final.

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Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com