"Rare dinosaur fossils worth more than 12m have been seized following a settlement with a Singapore-based Chinese businessman in respect of a civil recovery investigation, it has been reported. A lawyer for the National Crime Agency (NCA) said at a court hearing on Tuesday that the agency had recovered the Jurassic-era dinosaur skeletons of two allosauruses and a stegosaurus, estimated to be around 150 million years old, from Su Binghai and his company Su Empire Limited, under the Proceeds of Crime Act."
"Christie's said the lot represented the first dinosaur skeletons offered at its King Street auction house, comprising the instantly recognisable stegosaurus, with its tail spikes and rows of armoured plates, alongside a pair of the fearsome carnivorous allosaurus. All three specimens were found in the Meilyn quarry in Wyoming in close proximity to each other and were described as having an aesthetic black colour."
The National Crime Agency recovered three Jurassic-era dinosaur skeletons — two allosauruses and a stegosaurus — estimated at about 150 million years old, from Su Binghai and Su Empire Limited under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The agency seized three complete fossilised skeletons, nine London apartments valued at £15m, and 11 Chinese artworks; Su will receive 25% of the proceeds from sales. The skeletons had been bought at Christie's Jurassic Icons auction for £12.4m and originated from the Meilyn quarry in Wyoming, described as having an aesthetic black colour. The 11 artworks were purchased at auction in 2022 for over £400,000. The NCA gave no details of the underlying allegations.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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