Egypt punishes stealing antiquities by life imprisonment, LE 5M fine

CAIRO – 13 February 2021: Anyone who will steal an antiquity or parts of it will be punished with life imprisonment, and a fine of not less than one million Egyptian pounds, and not more than 5 million Egyptian pounds, according to recent amendments to the Egyptian Antiquities Law.

The amendments approved by the Egyptian parliament stipulated that the punishment will apply to the violators, who intend to smuggle the antiquity, whether it is registered as state-owned, or prepared for registration, or extracted in archaeological excavations run by the ministry or part of the mission and universities excavation works.  

The penalty shall be temporary hard labor for anyone who dug secretly or conceals an antiquity or part of it with the intention of smuggling, and in all cases the antiquity will be confiscated, as well as the equipment, tools, machinery, and cars used in the crime.

The law stipulates that the punishment is an imprisonment for a period of no less than three years and not exceeding seven years, and a fine of not less than five hundred thousand pounds and not more than one million pounds for everyone who commits any of the following acts:

1- Demolishing or deliberately damaging a movable or immovable antiquity, deforming it, changing its features, or intentionally separating part of it.

2 - Carrying out excavation works with the intention of obtaining antiquities without a license, and in this case the excavation site is reserved until the Council conducts excavation work at the expense of the perpetrator.

The penalty in the two previous clauses shall be temporary hard labor and a fine of not less than one million pounds and not more than two million pounds, if the perpetrator is an employee of the ministry or the council or the competent body, or officials, employees or workers of excavation missions, or the contractors.