London police are investigating a “highly unusual case” involving missing items from the famous British Museum. As recently made public, gold jewelry, jewelry made of semi-precious stones and also made of glass are missing. Some of the missing items date back to the 15th century BC. Since none of the objects have been exhibited recently, it is also difficult to shorten the period of their disappearance.
The museum has not yet announced exactly which objects are missing – and how many. “The majority of the affected items were small pieces held in a storage unit in one of the museum’s collections,” the museum said. And spoke cautiously about items that were “missing, stolen or damaged” in his message. A report in The Telegraph newspaper suggests: Were some of the artifacts listed on eBay years ago?
Museum staff fired
The museum fired an employee and announced legal action against the person. According to British media, it would be a curator who has worked for the museum for a long time. The Times newspaper quoted his son as saying his father was innocent. The London Metropolitan Police are investigating and have not yet arrested anyone.
Director Hartwig Fischer, the first German to head the British Museum, confirms: “This is a highly unusual incident.” He speaks on behalf of all colleagues when he says that they take the protection of the objects very seriously. Since the case became known, however, the question has arisen how well some objects are secured. Some speak of an embarrassing case. The lawyer Christopher Marinello, who deals with the recovery of looted art, told the PA news agency: “It is not enough to have cameras on the walls. You have to monitor your employees well.” There should also be a duty to record exactly when someone starts to examine an object and stops again.
George Osborne, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees, said Wednesday the board was deeply concerned when it learned “earlier this year” that items from the collection had been stolen. Three things are important now: recovering the stolen items; find out how the case could have been prevented; and do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The Greek government fears for its own sculptures
The Greek government was very concerned about what was happening in London. The matter is being handled “very precisely”, emphasizes Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. Greece is also likely to be watching the events, as a significant portion of the Parthenon sculptures are on display at the British Museum. Athens has been demanding the return of all parts of the frieze for decades. The museum always refused. An argument used to be that objects displayed in museums are safe.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
