Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said at the start of the government meeting on Tuesday that he was outraged by the theft of the treasure trove from the Dutch museum and that Romania “cannot accept such a thing.” He said he would demand “unprecedented damages” in this case and did not rule out the possibility of a reward for finding the objects.
“I am outraged that priceless objects from Romania’s treasury were stolen from a museum in the Netherlands where there were no security guards! We cannot accept such a thing. If this had happened in Romania, we would have been devastated, naturally! I ask the Minister of Justice to analyze the contract with the Dutch museum with the best experts and to demand unprecedented damages,” said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
He stated that he had sent the Dutch authorities “a firm message” that it is vital for Romania that the investigation leads to the arrest of the thieves and the full recovery of the Dacian treasures.
“The Dutch state bears full responsibility for this situation,” the Prime Minister also declared.
He also asked the Minister of Culture, Natalia Intotero, “tough measures, including dismissals if necessary, within the institutions responsible for this contract.” “I will also have a report from the Prime Minister’s Control Body regarding the opinions given last year to the Ministry of Culture to remove the Dacian treasure from the country. I will forward them to the prosecutors so that the culprits will be held accountable. I also expect a set of measures for the future to protect our national heritage assets. Such valuable objects cannot be taken out of the country whenever a regional European museum wants to”, the prime minister also said.
He expressed hope that the national values will be recovered. “We must do everything in our power to increase the chances of finding them. Depending on the cooperation with the Dutch authorities, I do not rule out calling on international companies specialized in recovering stolen art objects. Nor do I rule out announcing a reward commensurate with the enormous value that these objects have for the Romanian people and our national identity”, the prime minister also said.
The Dutch police activated the cross-border cooperation mechanism and informed Interpol, following the explosion that took place on Saturday morning near the Drents Museum in Assen (Netherlands), where an exhibition of old Dacian objects was being hosted.
The Ministry of Culture reported that, following the explosion, a wall of the exhibition space was destroyed, and the Golden Helmet from Coţofeneşti and three gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia were stolen.
On Monday, Dutch police found a sledgehammer, possibly used in the museum break-in, in a canal near the Drents Museum in Assen, along the alleged route the thieves fled.
All the stolen items were insured.
PM Ciolacu retorts to ex-Culture minister Raluca Turcan
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday that he had requested a report from his control body regarding the approvals given last year to remove the Gato-Dacian treasure that was stolen last week in the Netherlands. Ciolacu announced that he would submit the conclusions of the report to prosecutors, in order to determine the culprits.
“I ask the Minister of Culture to take tough measures starting today, including dismissals, if necessary, within the institutions responsible for this contract. (…) I will also have a report from the Prime Minister’s Control Body regarding the approvals given last year to the Ministry of Culture to remove the Dacian treasure from the country. I will submit them to the prosecutors so that the culprits can answer. I am also waiting for a set of measures for the future to protect our national heritage assets. “Such valuable objects cannot be taken out of the country whenever a museum or a minister wants,” Marcel Ciolacu said at a government meeting on Tuesday, in response to Raluca Turcan’s claims that a government decision was not needed to remove the heritage objects from the country.
Raluca Turcan, former Minister of Culture, contradicted Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s claims on Monday that a government decision would have been needed to remove the Dacian helmet from the country, because no other institutions were involved besides the Museum of Romanian History.
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