Factual Clarification Regarding an Article by Benjamin Rosch (CH Media / Luzerner Zeitung)

ReceptioGate is a case of transnational criminal activity connected to the black market in cultural property, in which allegations of plagiarism were used as a weapon of mass distraction.

1. The Original Crime: Dismemberment and Laundering

At the centre of the case are real historical artefacts, such as the leaves stolen in 1979 from Turin manuscript E.V.5 and the leaf removed from the Antiphonary of Castelfiorentino.

These manuscripts were mutilated, constituting a serious crime against cultural heritage.

In order to be sold legally on the international market for substantial sums, they required a process of "laundering".

This laundering was carried out through auction catalogue descriptions (such as the Sotheby's entries prepared by Peter Kidd) or expert assessments signed by accommodating academics (such as Gaudenz Freuler of the University of Zurich). By omitting illicit provenance, the auction catalogue effectively became a vehicle for laundering cultural property.

2. The Whistleblowing and the System's Response

ReceptioGate emerged only after Professor Carla Rossi and the RECEPTIO research centre chose to act as whistleblowers by submitting a formal and detailed complaint to the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) in December 2022. Their actions contributed to the seizure of cultural objects and disrupted a profitable chain of transactions.

The reaction from the antiquarian network was immediate. The plagiarism allegations published by Peter Kidd on 23 December 2022, only days after the complaint, were not a spontaneous scholarly objection. They constituted a targeted act of retaliation.

The objective was to destroy the credibility of the witness, Professor Rossi, thereby undermining her complaint and protecting the network of dealers and academics connected to the trade.

3. Institutional Complicity

The term "Gate" is appropriate precisely because institutions became involved. The University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation initially endorsed the narrative promoted by the antiquarian network, isolating Rossi, withdrawing funding, and treating the matter primarily as an issue of academic conduct.

With reference to the article signed by Benjamin Rosch and published on 19 January 2026 in CH Media outlets, a factual clarification is required, as the article contains serious inaccuracies and omissions.

1. On The Book of Hours of Louis de Roucy

The Swiss Federal Administrative Court expressly ruled that The Book of Hours of Louis de Roucy is not subject to sanctions.The central allegation that triggered the entire media narrative—publicly advanced by Peter Kidd—has therefore been judicially dismissed.

2. On the Nature of the Remaining Findings

The observations raised by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) concern other publications and relate primarily to:

• alleged self-plagiarism (reuse of one’s own texts),

• formal citation issues.

They do not involve the misappropriation of third-party research. The repeated use of the term plagiarism in this context is therefore factually and legally incorrect.

3. On the Context of the Defamatory Campaign

The article omits a crucial element:The public campaign directed against Carla Rossi began immediately after a formal complaint and extensive scholarly documentation concerning problematic links between Swiss academics and the international art and antiquarian market, notably:

• illicit trafficking of medieval manuscripts,

• systematic dismemberment of codices,

• the production of false or misleading expert assessments.

The activities of Peter Kidd, documented for years in scholarly research, fall within this context.

4. Institutional Recognition and International Activity

The portrayal of an isolated or professionally discredited scholar is inaccurate.Carla Rossi has not maintained professional ties with Switzerland for several years and conducts her academic work within an international scholarly environment, where her research continues to receive institutional recognition.

In December 2025, one of her recent scholarly volumes was officially presented, in an institutional context, to the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. This publicly verifiable fact stands in clear contrast to the narrative advanced in the article.

5. Scholarly Reference

The legal and institutional implications of these issues were extensively analysed in a scholarly article published in 2025:Biblioclasm for Profit: The Legal Implications of Dismembering Western Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts(available at:https://www.academia.edu/129907470/2025_Biblioclasm_for_Profit_The_Legal_Implications_of_Dismembering_Western_Medieval_Illuminated_Manuscripts)

This clarification is issued in the interest of accuracy and complete information.

Keywords: Benjamin Rosch Carla Rossi