Pompeii restorer held for corruption

A former restorer of the ancient city of Pompeii was arrested on corruption charges yesterday and five others are under investigation.

Italy declared a state of emergency at Pompeii in 2008 after archaeologists and art historians complained about the poor upkeep of the crumbling site.

A special commissioner, Marcello Fiori, was also appointed for the Unesco World Heritage Site. But investigators say Mr Fiori and the director of restoration, Luigi D'Amora, awarded irregular contracts to a company called Caccavo and paid inflated prices for its work.