🐂 Not all bull runs are created equal. November’s AI picks include 5 stocks up +20% eachUnlock Stocks

British Museum seeks recovery of some 2,000 stolen items

Published 08/26/2023, 09:49 AM
Updated 08/26/2023, 09:51 AM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An employee poses as he views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Around 2,000 artefacts including gold jewellery and gems had been stolen from the British Museum over a long period of time, but recovery efforts were already under way, the museum's chair George Osborne said on Saturday.

The museum, one of London's most popular attractions whose treasures include the Rosetta Stone (NYSE:RST), an ancient Egyptian relic inscribed with hieroglyphs and other texts, said last week a member of staff had been dismissed after items dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD had been taken from a storeroom.

Museum director Hartwig Fischer said on Friday he would step down after admitting to failings in its investigation into the theft of items from its collection.

Osborne, a former British finance minister, told BBC radio that not all of the museum's collection was properly catalogued or registered, a situation not unique among large institutions whose collections had been amassed over hundreds of years.

A "forensic" inquiry was being conducted to find out what had been stolen, Osborne said. "We think it's around 2,000 items," he said. "But I have to say that's a very provisional figure and we're still actively looking."

"We've already started to recover some of the stolen items," he added, without giving any details of what had been recovered or how.

Osborne said he did not believe there had been any deliberate cover-up after the museum previously rejected a warning in 2021 that the thefts were happening.

But there could have been some "potential group think" at the top of the institution that could not believe an insider was stealing, he said.

He said the thefts had "certainly been damaging" to the reputation of the museum, which casts itself as a trusted custodian of priceless artefacts from cultures around the world.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An employee poses as he views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

"That's why I'm apologising on behalf of the museum," he said.

Police said on Thursday said they had interviewed but not charged an unnamed man over the stolen artefacts.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.