A French parliamentary investigation concluded that “systemic failures” facilitated the theft of items valued at nearly $100 million from the Louvre Museum in Paris last year, increasing pressure on the museum’s director, Laurence des Cars.
The heads of the investigation presented a preliminary assessment after 70 hearings, publicly questioning why des Cars remains in her position. At a press conference, one stated that “the Louvre theft is not an accident; it reveals systemic failures within the museum,” adding that the institution had been “in a state of denial regarding the existence of risks.”
He added that the management is “currently deficient,” emphasizing that in many countries and institutions, such a situation would lead a responsible official to resign.
Des Cars submitted her resignation shortly after the robbery on October 19, but it was rejected by the President, who had appointed her to the position in 2021.
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The investigation committee, formed in December and chaired by two opposition deputies, is scheduled to question des Cars and the Minister of Culture next week before presenting its results in early May.
A state within a state
It was stated that “the Louvre Museum has become a state within a state,” calling on the Ministry of Culture to intervene directly in its management.
The French Ministry of Culture has ordered its own internal audit regarding the theft, while Senate members are also holding hearings on the event, which has captured public attention in France and worldwide. Police are holding four individuals, including the two suspected thieves, but the eight stolen pieces from the French Crown Jewels, valued at approximately $102 million, have not been recovered.
