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POLICE OPERATION
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Two religious men from Belorado have been provisionally released after testifying for the sale of works of art

A merchantofthe ancient , accused of taking works of art inLeon, has also been released. 

MADRID, 01/08/2025.- Fachada del convento de Belorado (Burgos 21/06/2024). La jueza de Primera Instancia e Instrucción de Briviesca (Burgos) ha dado la razón a la Iglesia Católica en su demanda de desahucio contra las exmonjas de Belorado y las condena a abandonar el monasterio, según la sentencia a la que ha tenido acceso EFE. EFE/ archivo/ Iratxe Rodríguez

The convent of Belorado, in a stock image.

The Briviesca Examining Court (Burgos) has provisionally released the religious Laura Garcia de Viedma and Susana Varo from the Monasteryof Santa Maria de Bretonera in Belorado. They have also declared after their arrest thesaleof  works of art there on charges of .

The two religious men were arrested on Thursday afternoon, the first in Beloradoand the second in Orduña, for misappropriation of property allegedly classified as historical heritage and belonging to the convent itself.

The two former religious persons areallegedly responsible for the sale, removal and transfer of the listed property , while the antiquarian is charged with a continuing offence of reception for failing to prove their legal origin by acquiring such items.

Attorney Enrique García de Viedma has said that the judge has not yet issued "any precautionary measures", but that they will have to respond to the court's summons" where appropriate ".

The two religious have stated that they have done "nothing punishable"and their lawyer has recalled that the court order mentions facts such as property sales 2023, when no distribution had yet taken place and the abbess was the administrator of the convent's property. 

Attorney Garcia de Viedma has said that since 8 August he has requested "the annulmentof all proceedings "related to the transfer of elderly persons and the suspension of the execution of this measure.

The investigation began after the agents discovered several catalogued works of art belonging to the historical heritage of the monastery of Belorado, which could be stolen or transmitted without permission.

They found that some historical pieces of the convent of Burgos had been sold on the Internet, so they found in an antique store in Madrid an image of San Antonio de Padua in the 17th century, also belonging to the same cenobio, which the Civil Guard has recovered.

As a result of these findings, last Thursday the monasteries of Belorado(Burgos) and Orduña(Bizkaia) were searched. In both records, a number of works were seized to be brought before the court and are awaiting inventory.

In addition, numerous works of art from the monastery of Belorado have been found which have been transferred in Orduña without permission, and the investigation remains open with the aim of recovering other pieces of heritage which have not yet been found.

Detenidas tres personas por apropiación indebida y receptación de piezas de patrimonio histórico

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