The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office filed suit today to return a 10th-century statue to Cambodia, where it was looted from a Hindu temple during the Vietnam War era.
The massive sandstone work, known as the Duryodhana, was set to be auctioned off last year at Sotheby’s, where it was expected to fetch up to $3 million.
But the planned sale was cancelled after the Cambodian government complained and asked the feds for help getting the statue back.
Sotheby’s, which still has the statue in storage, said it would “vigorously” challenge the suit, insisting: “This sculpture was legally imported into the United States and all relevant facts were openly declared.”