Stolen ancient artefacts that are due to be returned to Iraq were displayed at a ceremony in Rome on Wednesday.
Saywan Sabir Mustafa Barzani, Iraq’s ambassador to Italy, viewed the objects at the Iraqi embassy event, which was attended by the head of Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Property, Michele Minetti, and an Italian police representative.
They include vases, fragments of pottery, metal objects and terracotta cones with royal inscriptions commemorating the construction of temple buildings by King Gudea of Lagash (2,200 BC-2,150 BC) and date back to the civilisation of Mesopotamia.
At the ceremony, Mr Barzani expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Italian Antiquities and Heritage Protection Unit for its efforts in returning the artefacts to the embassy.
He also touched on the strong co-operation between Iraq and Italy, especially in the field of heritage and antiquities protection.
The ambassador said Italian authorities were informed that the five pieces had been offered for sale and he praised the embassy's work on following up on the issue.
He said the embassy had received archaeological pieces on five previous occasions, the last of which was in July 2024.
Iraqi authorities have been working to retrieve thousands of archaeological relics looted decades ago from the country that many historians regard as the cradle of civilisation. Recent efforts to track them down have been increasingly successful.
Many artefacts, including ancient stone tablets, were smuggled out of the country in the chaos following the US-led invasion in 2003, when most archaeological sites were left unguarded.
Other smuggling operations date back to the 1990s, when Iraq suffered extreme poverty due to punishing international sanctions, leading to a crime wave that extended to smuggling valuable items of heritage.
In 2018, US arts and crafts chain store Hobby Lobby was fined $3 million after US investigators found some of more than 3,000 clay tablets and seals that had been smuggled out of Iraq had been bought by the shop's managers.
Since then, thousands more items from around the world have been recovered. In 2021, Iraqi and US authorities secured the return of 17,000 ancient objects, including the so-called Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, to Iraq. The 3,600-year-old object contains a section of the ancient Akkadian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In 2015 the US returned more than 60 Iraqi objects after they were illegally smuggled into the country. They were returned following five separate investigations led by authorities.
UPI facts
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
TRAP
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TALE OF THE TAPE
Floyd Mayweather
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Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
