Italian police have seized approximately 20,000 books and texts from 73-year-old Marcello Dell'Utri, which are believed to date back as early as the 15th century, according to The Independent newspaper.
The documents are thought to have been stolen from the Church and other institutions. Details of the police's findings have only just been revealed, despite the actual seizures happening more than a year ago. The investigation continues.
Marcello Dell'Utri was a former senator in Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia political party. He was sentenced to seven years in prison last year for his links to the Cosa Nostra crime syndicate in Sicily.
At the time, he was arrested with more than €30,000 in cash, apparently trying to flee Italy days before he was due in the country's Supreme Court.