Louvre director questioned after US$102 million royal jewels heist
PARIS: The director of the Louvre Museum faced tough questions from French senators on Tuesday (Oct 21) after thieves pulled off a daring daylight robbery that saw royal jewels worth more than US$100 million stolen from one of the world’s most famous museums.
The director, Laurence des Cars, has not spoken publicly since the heist on Sunday, when four thieves made off with eight priceless pieces of jewellery in a seven-minute raid. The Louvre, which closed for two days for the investigation and its regular Tuesday shutdown, is due to reopen on Wednesday to the frustration of thousands of visitors.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the museum curator had estimated the losses at €88 million (US$102 million) and described the theft as “a devastating blow to France’s cultural heritage.” She warned that the thieves would not profit fully if they made “the very bad mistake of melting down these jewels.”
POLICE INVESTIGATE ORGANISED CRIME LINK
Investigators believe an organised crime group carried out the theft, scaling a truck-mounted ladder to reach the museum’s Apollo Gallery. The gang reportedly dropped a diamond-studded crown while escaping on scooters.
Ms Beccuau confirmed that four people were involved and said authorities were analysing fingerprints and DNA traces collected at the scene. Detectives are reviewing security camera footage from around the Louvre and major highways leading out of Paris.
The stolen items include an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to Empress Marie-Louise and a diamond diadem once owned by Empress Eugénie, encrusted with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
SECURITY UNDER SCRUTINY
Ms des Cars, who has led the Louvre since 2021, will appear before the Senate’s culture committee on Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about the museum’s security protocols.
A report by France’s Court of Auditors, seen by AFP, highlighted a “persistent delay” in security upgrades between 2019 and 2024, noting that only a quarter of one wing was under video surveillance.
In a letter to Culture Minister Rachida Dati in January, Ms des Cars had warned of a “worrying level of obsolescence” at the museum and called for urgent renovations.
Responding to criticism, the Louvre said the display cases protecting the jewels were installed in 2019 and “represented a considerable improvement in terms of security.”
PATTERN OF MUSEUM THEFTS ACROSS FRANCE
The Louvre heist follows a spate of high-profile robberies at French museums. Last month, criminals stole gold nuggets worth more than US$1.5 million from Paris’s Natural History Museum. On Tuesday, authorities confirmed a 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested in Barcelona while trying to sell nearly a kilogram of melted gold linked to that case.
Thieves also took two dishes and a vase valued at about US$7.6 million from a museum in Limoges.
“Museums are increasingly targeted for the valuable works they hold,” said France’s Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property.
Labour unions have blamed repeated budget and staffing cuts for leaving major cultural institutions vulnerable. “We cannot do without physical surveillance,” a union official said, noting that visitor numbers at the Louvre — home to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa — have soared even as security staffing has declined.
