British police seized dinosaur skeletons worth over £12 million after reaching a settlement with a Chinese national suspected of involvement in a large-scale money laundering case. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
A National Crime Agency lawyer stated during a court hearing on Tuesday, November 4, that Su Binhai agreed to relinquish three complete fossilized skeletons, as well as nine London apartments purchased for approximately £15 million, but would be allowed to keep 25% of all proceeds from the sale.
It is noted that Su Binhai was declared wanted in connection with a large-scale money laundering case in Singapore. Singaporean authorities confiscated cash, real estate, cryptocurrency, and other assets totaling $2.3 billion, and imprisoned ten accused individuals of Chinese origin: they are accused of laundering funds illegally obtained from international online gambling.
The arrest warrant for Su Binhai, issued by Interpol, was canceled after he and his wife agreed to transfer their assets to the state as part of a broad settlement with the investigation, which involved several other suspects. Su Binhai's lawyers declined to comment after the court hearing.
The dinosaur remains, aged between 145 and 157 million years, include a female Allosaurus with a cub, as well as a Stegosaurus
They were sold by Christie's International Ltd. at the Jurassic Icons auction in 2024. Eleven Chinese artifacts purchased at Sotheby's auction were also confiscated.
It is reported that the dinosaur skeletons will be stored in a vault in London.
Recall
In Mongolia, well-preserved remains of the oldest known pachycephalosaur, Zavacephale rinpoche, approximately 108 million years old, were found. This discovery will help understand the evolution of this mysterious group of dinosaurs and their social behavior.
British scientists discover largest place to preserve dinosaur tracks - BBC02.01.25, 21:06