Khaberni - A French parliamentary investigation concluded that "systematic failures" facilitated the theft of items worth about $100 million from the Louvre Museum in Paris last year, increasing the pressure on the museum director, Laurence de Cars.
The investigation's leaders, Alexandre Portier and Alexis Corbiere, provided initial assessments after 70 hearings, openly wondering why de Cars remained in her position.
Portier said at a press conference: "The Louvre theft is not an accident. It reveals systematic failures in the museum," adding that the institution was "in a state of denial about the risks."
He emphasized that the administration currently "suffers from deficiencies," stressing that in many countries and institutions, such circumstances would lead to the responsible party resigning, according to "Agence France-Presse."
De Cars submitted her resignation shortly after the robbery that occurred on October 19, but it was rejected by President Emmanuel Macron, who had appointed her to her position in 2021.
An investigative committee formed in December, chaired by two opposition members, is scheduled to question de Cars and the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, next week, before presenting its findings at the beginning of May.
Portier considered that "the Louvre Museum has become a state within a state" and called for the Ministry of Culture to directly intervene in its management.
The French Ministry of Culture ordered its own internal audit of the theft, while members of the Senate are also holding hearings about the event that has captivated public opinion in both France and the world.
The police are holding four people, including the two suspected thieves, but the eight stolen pieces from the French Crown Jewels, valued at about $102 million, have not been found.
