Emails leaked to BBC News claim the British Museum was alerted by Ittai Gradel, an antiquities dealer, to items being sold on eBay in 2021, but that it ignored the report.
On Wednesday, Hartwig Fischer, the director of the museum, expressed “frustration” that the extent of any appropriation of artefacts from the museum’s collection was not apparent when concerns were first raised. In 2021, “concerns were only raised about a small number of items, and our investigation concluded that those items were all accounted for.”
He added: “We now have reason to believe that the individual who raised concerns had many more items in his possession, and it’s frustrating that that was not revealed to us as it would have aided our investigations. In 2022 we embarked on a full audit – which revealed a bigger problem. I reported my concerns to the trustees, and together we agreed to call in the police. We also then began the disciplinary process that resulted in a member of staff being dismissed.”
Nigeria renews call for return of Benin Bronzes following British Museum thefts: “It’s shocking to hear that the countries and museums that have been telling us that the Benin Bronzes would not be secure in Nigeria, have thefts happening there,” said Abba Isa Tijani, Director of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
Greece renews calls for the return of the Parthenon Marbles: “The loss, theft, deterioration of objects from a museum’s collections is an extremely serious and particularly sad event,” Greece’s Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said. “In fact, when this happens from within, beyond any moral and criminal responsibility, a major question arises regarding the credibility of the museum organization itself.”
