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Handover of Scythian gold to Ukraine constitutes plunder of Crimea — senior MP

It was a quasi-judicial arbitrary process, the speaker of the regional legislature said

SIMFEROPOL, June 10. /TASS/. The ruling by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands to hand over the Scythian gold collection from Crimean museums to Ukraine is a plunder of Crimea, the speaker of the regional legislature has told reporters.

"It is clear to me that there was no justice. It was a quasi-judicial arbitrary process. That is why discussing nuances of this trial makes no sense," Crimean State Council Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said on Friday.

"It was nothing but ordinary plunder of a unique and priceless collection," he added. "We will certainly add this to our list of financial claims to Ukraine and the West, which, in fact, is the ideologist and the true beneficiary of all crimes committed by the Kiev government."

The Supreme Court of the Netherlands said on Friday that it had upheld the verdict of the Amsterdam Appellate Court demanding that the Scythian gold collection be transferred to Ukraine.

The Scythian Gold is a collection of more than 2,000 items that were put on display at an exhibition at the Allard Pierson Museum of the University of Amsterdam in February 2014 when Crimea was still part of Ukraine. Uncertainty over the collection's future emerged when Crimea reunited with Russia in March 2014. Crimea’s museums and Ukraine both laid claim to the collection. The University of Amsterdam, which oversees the Allard Pierson Museum's activities, put the handover procedure on hold until either the dispute was legally resolved or the parties came to terms.