Art supplier ‘alerted British Museum to thefts two years ago’
T
he British Museum was warned valuable artefacts had been allegedly being stolen and bought on-line two years in the past however bosses insisted “all objects were accounted for”, it’s reported.
Art supplier Ittai Gradel contacted the museum in February 2021 after recognizing gadgets he had seen in its catalogues.
According to correspondence seen by BBC News between Mr Gradel and the museum, deputy director Jonathan Williams responded in July 2021 saying “there was no suggestion of any wrongdoing”.
Mr Williams added there had been a “thorough investigation” and that the “collection was protected”.
Last week the British Museum introduced that gadgets from its assortment had been discovered to be “missing, stolen or damaged” and an unnamed member of workers has been sacked.
Reports have stated the variety of stolen artefacts from the British Museum is “closer to 2,000” with the full worth of lacking items thought to run into “millions of pounds”.
An impartial evaluation of safety has been launched and the matter can be underneath investigation by the financial crime command of the Metropolitan Police.
An eBay spokesman stated: “Our dedicated law enforcement liaison team is in close contact with the Metropolitan Police and is supporting the investigation into this case.
“We do not tolerate the sale of stolen property. If we identify that a listing on our site is stolen, we immediately remove it and work with law enforcement to support investigations and keep our site safe.”
Dr Gradel’s emails counsel he turned suspicious when he “stumbled” upon a photograph of a Roman cameo fragment that he stated had been up on the market and had been listed on the British Museum web site however had since been eliminated.
He alleges in one in every of his emails {that a} third-party vendor returned a gem to the museum as quickly as Dr Gradel advised him his suspicions, however claims the museum didn’t observe this up sufficiently.
In one in every of a number of emails he despatched to observe up any progress, this time to a board trustee, Dr Gradel accuses the director – Hartwig Fischer – and Mr Williams of “sweeping it all under the carpet”.
A lot of artefacts and jewels have been stolen from the British Museum through the years (Chris Young/PA)
/ PA ArchiveLabour MP Ben Bradshaw, a former tradition secretary, stated the newest allegations had been “extremely serious”.
“These are priceless objects that belong to the nation, and they should be safe,” he advised BBC News.
“This has potential reputational damage for Britain because this is already being reported across the globe. The British Museum is a probably the world’s most famous museum.”
A museum supply advised the Telegraph that the directorate’s dealing with of the case has been “negligent and incompetent” and that proof introduced to them was ignored.
An antiquities professional reportedly advised the museum three years in the past that gadgets from its assortment had been being provided on the market on eBay, with one Roman object, valued at £25,000 to £50,000 by sellers, provided for simply £40.
The impartial evaluation will probably be led by former museum trustee Sir Nigel Boardman, and Lucy D’Orsi, chief constable of the British Transport Police, who will “kickstart” a “vigorous” programme to recuperate the stolen gadgets.
The British Museum declined to remark whereas the police investigation is on-going.