Auction houses and dealers failing to cooperate with investigators over stolen items, says expert

Specialist in recovery of missing and looted art and antiques accuses businesses of protecting commissions and fees ahead of restoring legal ownership

Too many auction houses and dealers are failing to cooperate when they are found to be selling stolen items, a leading lawyer has warned.

Christopher Marinello, a London-based specialist in recovering stolen, looted and missing art and antiques, told the Observer that “most are uncooperative at first” and some are “so desperate to protect their commissions that they will do anything to avoid cooperating”.