Italy is threatening legal action after the British government refused to return 700 ancient artifacts that were seized from disgraced London art dealer Robin Symes. Maurizio Fiorilli, the Italian state legal counsel overseeing the case, claims that the disputed objects, largely Etruscan sculptures, jewelry, and vases, were excavated illegally and then sold illicitly.

Symes had previously been one of London’s most successful antiquities dealers until a dispute with the family of his late partner, Christo Michaelides, resulted in bankruptcy and two years in prison. After Michaelides’ death in 1999, questions about the provenance of objects in Symes’ collection emerged, and in 2006, investigative journalist Peter Watson linked Symes to an illicit antiquities network in his book The Medici Conspiracy.

Italy intends to request the restitution of the 700 objects, which it claims are of Italian origins. Fiorilli said that neither Symes nor BDO, which is liquidating the firm’s holdings, has proof of the objects’ provenance or legal documents allowing their importation into the UK. Fiorilli also stated that Symes is believed to have destroyed many documents pertaining to the artifacts. The attorneys for the Italian government claim to have presented documentary evidence of the artifacts’ Italian provenance.

Italy says it will start legal action if BDO does not respond to the restitution request by the end of January: “The liquidators must tell us if they intend to return the objects,” Fiorilli said. Fiorilli attempted to contact BDO in 2012, specifying which objects should be returned, but received no substantive response. Italian prosecutors could take on the liquidators in the UK under the Dealing in Cultural Offences Act. Further complicating matters are recent rumors that BDO may have looked into selling the objects, although BDO insisted that it would “not take steps to sell antiquities subject to claims by third parties.”

Ultimately, documentation must be presented by both sides that fully traces the artifacts’ provenance, from their original archaeological site to their ultimate exportation to the UK. As Fiorilli said: “This is not about money; it is about bringing back culturally important pieces back to their rightful home.”