Authorities seek return of 'looted' sculpture from Kim Kardashian

American authorities are seeking to return to Italy an allegedly trafficked ancient Roman statue that was destined for the home of Kim Kardashian.

Prosecutors in the US are applying for the forfeiture of the marble statue, a Roman copy of a Greek original which was seized five years ago in the Port of Los Angeles.

Italian cultural heritage officials believe the sculpture, which dates to the first or second century AD, was looted from Italy and illegally exported.

They want it returned to Italy, according to a complaint for forfeiture that was filed in court in Los Angeles last week.

The lawsuit, filed on April 30 in the District Court of Central California’s Western Division, says the US government is seeking the forfeiture of the “illegally imported” sculpture, which consists of the lower half of a human figure.

There is no suggestion that Ms Kardashian knew of the suspect provenance of the ancient artwork.

She is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit although the filing does say that her interests may be “adversely affected by these proceedings.”

Documents refer to her being “also known as Kimberly Noel Kardashian West.”

Her representatives have so far declined to comment on the case, according to NBC News.

The statue, described in court documents as "Fragment of Myron's Samian Athena, Limestone, Roman, 1st – 2nd century AD” was seized at the Port of Los Angeles in June 2016 after raising the suspicions of customs officers.

They became concerned that the statue was “possibly protected cultural property from Italy,” the court filing said.

Documents showed that the importer of the statue was listed as "Kim Kardashian dba Noel Roberts Trust."

The statue was reportedly bought at an art and antiquities fair in Maastricht in the Netherlands in 2011.

The statue was part of a shipment containing around 40 antiques and pieces of furniture, together worth $745,882, destined for Ms Kardashian.

The sculpture was seized a month later by US Customs and Border Protection.

Now a specialist unit of Italy’s Carabinieri police, responsible for tracking down and recovering stolen art and antiquities, wants it back.

The Carabinieri have “requested that all efforts be made for the return of the defendant statue to Italy,” according to the lawsuit.

An archaeologist from Italy’s cultural heritage ministry examined the statue in 2018 and concluded that it was “looted, smuggled and illegally exported from Italy.”

No export license had been requested for the piece, the Italian expert said.

The lawsuit calls for “due notice to be given to all interested parties to appear and show cause why forfeiture should not be decreed.”