ROME (AP) — Italy’s Culture Ministry banned art loans to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, following a long-running dispute with the U.S. museum over an ancient marble statue believed to have been looted from Italy almost a half-century ago.

The legal dispute began in March 2022, when an Italian court ruled that the museum, known as Mia, was irregularly in possession of the Stabiae Doriforo, a Roman-era copy of The Doryphoros of Polykleitos, an ancient Greek sculpture.

The ancient statue was believed to have been looted from Italy in the 1970s, according to prosecutors.

A spokesman for Italy’s Culture Ministry confirmed the ban on Wednesday, adding that Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano was “firmly convinced” of that decision. Last month, Sangiuliano had announced that the Italian government was working to bring the Doryphoros back to Italy from the United States.