October 10 2019
Pressure on the UK’s art trade is increasing as it faces a wave of legislative changes and increased attention from enforcement agencies.
As UK courts introduced new sentencing guidelines for criminal damage to heritage assets on 1 October, the trade was counting down to the anti-money-laundering regulations that are coming into force in January and pushing for a judicial review of the contentious Ivory Act 2018. Last month, a London court sentenced Guy Buckle and Sik-Hung Or to 28 months imprisonment for exporting carved ivory fans to Hong Kong and the US. Detective Constable Sarah Bailey who led the investigation, said she hoped the “sentencing highlights that this type of activity is illegal and acts as a deterrent to those involved in the illegal sale and export of such items.”
