Dakar – It is the largest Mars piece ever found on Earth: a 54 -pound meteorite that reached more than $ 5 million in an auction in New York last month, establishing a world record.
But in the nation of Western Africa of Niger, where the red oxide rock was unearthed in the Sahara desert, the officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible “illicit international traffic”, claiming that it could have been taken from smuggling from the country.
This is what you should know about the meteorite and the legal dispute:
How was it found?
Sotheby’s said the rock, called NWA 16788, She was expelled from the surface of Mars for the impact of a massive asteroid and traveled 140 million miles to Earth.
He was discovered in Sahara, in the northwest of Niger, by a meteorit hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity was not revealed. Nor does the buyer’s identity last month.
Meteorite hunting is growing in arid Saharan countries such as Niger. Although meteorites can fall anywhere on earth, Sahara has become a privileged place for discovery, partly due to the favorable climate for conservation.
Hunters often look for space rocks that can be sold to collectors or scientists. The rarest and beautiful are from Mars and the Moon.
According to the academic magazine Heritage, the rock was sold to an international distributor before finishing in a private gallery in Italy. A team of scientists from the University of Florence examined the rock last year to obtain more information about its structure and where it came before falling to the earth, the publication said.
The meteorite was also briefly on exhibition in Rome before being seen in public in New York last month during the auction.
Why is Niger investigating?
After the sale, Niger raised questions about how the meteorite was sold at an auction.
The Niger government announced an investigation last month to determine the circumstances of the discovery and sale of the meteorite, saying in a statement that was “similar to illicit international traffic.”
Last week, President Abdourahamane Tiani suspended the export of “precious stones, semi -precious stones and meteorites nationwide” in an effort to guarantee his traceability.
Sotheby’s said in a statement sent to The Associated Press that the meteorite was exported from Niger and transported according to all relevant international procedures.
“As with everything we sell, all the necessary documentation was in order at each stage of its trip, according to the best practices and requirements of the countries involved”said the statement.
Niger authorities did not answer AP questions.
What international law says
While there are global agreements to regulate the trade of cultural artifacts, there is ambiguity on whether meteorites are covered.
Patty Gerstenblith, Cultural Heritage Lawyer and expert in illicit trade, said that, according to the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Assets, which Niger and the United States have ratified, meteorites can qualify as cultural goods.
However, Gerstenblith said that Niger needs to prove that he owned the meteorite and was stolen, since the illegal export of the country does not make the meteorite illegal in the United States.
“If the meteorite was not stolen and if it was declared correctly when importing it to the United States, then it does not seem that Niger can recover the meteorite,” He said to AP.
Some countries, such as Morocco, one of the main sources of meteorites in the international market, demand restitution if objects are discovered in their territory. But the application has been a challenge due to vast desert areas and informal commercial networks.