Kim Kardashian has denied any connection to an ancient Roman statue that the US government is seeking to return to Italy -- a purchase that was made by her estranged husband Kanye West.
The 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star has always been in limelight- be it because of her fashion statements, her alleged relationships, her Billionaire status and more. But this time, Kim has been dragged under a legal problem which says she allegedly had purchased an antique Roman statue dating back to the 1st or 2nd century that now the US government is seeking to return to its original country.
The reason the federals want the statue back is that Italy has determined the piece is a cultural treasure that was essentially looted from an archaeological site.
According to TMZ, the government federals claimed that the paperwork listed 'Kim Kardashian dba Noel Roberts Trust' as the consignee and importer of the said statue. Noel Roberts is, a trust Kim has used to make other big-ticket purchases but a rep for Kim denied she made this deal.
A source connected to the star told that Kim only found out this week that the piece was actually bought by Kanye as part of a larger purchase which included more art. However, it's unclear if Kanye had bought it as a gift, or when he had planned on telling Kim, but the source said she was unaware.
TMZ reported that the federals claimed a Belgium designer named Axel Vervoordt shipped the statue to the USA, and presumably, his company put Kim's name on the customs document. Vervoordt has worked with Kim and Kanye in the past, and back in 2016. At the time when the statue was imported, Kim and Kanye were building their Hidden Hills mansion, which at that time made headlines because it looked no less than a museum.
Still, Kim said that she has no knowledge of the statue or its purchase. For his part, Vervoordt told TMZ, that he acquired the statue "in good faith" from a French gallery exhibition at a German auction house.
"At this point there is no evidence that this piece was illegally imported from Italy. If investigation proves that the piece was actually exported from Italy without a proper export license from the Italian Ministry of Culture, then we will of course take our responsibility," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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