Editor’s Note
This article details the findings of an official investigation into a major jewel theft at the Apollo Gallery, revealing systemic security failures. It underscores the urgent need for institutional accountability and reform in protecting cultural heritage.
Following the spectacular theft of jewels from the Apollo Gallery on October 19, the Ministry of Culture launched a thorough investigation within the museum. It reveals that not much is functioning properly in terms of security…
Leaks in the press had already suggested that the administrative investigation into security at the Louvre would be damning. This is indeed the case. The investigators who presented it to the Senate on Wednesday, December 10, even said they were “deeply surprised,” even “stunned,” by what they uncovered. The conclusions of their investigation, ordered by Rachida Dati in the wake of the theft on October 19, are appalling. They reveal an inexorable chain leading to the disaster: fragmented governance, strategic and technical flaws, lack of a security doctrine, insufficient budgets… So many shortcomings described with complete transparency by the officials.