14 paintings by Irish artist Michelle Rogers have finally been released by Italian police after being held for two years as evidence in an investigation involving her gallerist Massimo Micucci.

In February 2010, the large-scale paintings from her "On Earth as it is in Heaven" exhibition were seized by authorities who believed that the works belonged to Micucci, the owner of the Aequalias gallery on Via Margutta.

Police arrested Micucci as part of their ongoing investigation into a massive tax fraud and money laundering scandal involving Silvio Scaglia, the billionaire owner of Italian telecommunications company Fastweb.

Following a two-year campaign through the Italian justice system, Rogers describes herself as "incredibly relieved" to have her paintings back, and paid tribute to Rome's embassy of Ireland for its role in helping to retrieve her works.

She learnt of the paintings' release on 20 March