An employee of the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, has been arrested after being accused of stealing valuable silver and porcelain pieces from the premises and selling them on an online second-hand trading platform. They were valued between 15 and 40,000 euros (97,000 and 259,000 R$).
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This arrest is part of a new episode of scandal involving the country’s cultural heritage, following the theft of eight French royal jewels, valued at more than 100 million dollars (around 554 million reais, at current prices). They were removed from the Louvre Museum on October 19, in a spectacular action that lasted seven minutes.
According to the investigation, the suspect had taken advantage of his privileged access to palace facilities to steal objects of high historical and artistic value, including silver cutlery and fine tableware, which he then put up for sale on a second-hand buying and selling website. The authorities have identified several transactions linked to objects missing from the Élysée collection.
Part of the stolen pieces are considered national heritage and are part of the historical collection used during state dinners, official receptions and other diplomatic events held at the palace.
The employee’s arrest came after investigators traced the items to seller profiles, leading to the seizure of several pieces suspected of being stolen. Police sources also indicate that two accomplices were involved in the scheme and must answer as part of the ongoing legal proceedings.
Theft from the Louvre: Find out which French royal jewels worth millions of euros were stolen in seven minutes
Thieves used a crane to break into the museum and made off with the relics
During the investigation, officers located more than 100 items in the suspects’ possession. Among the objects recovered were copper saucepans, Baccarat brand champagne glasses and porcelain produced by the Fábrica tradional de Sèvres, one of the main and oldest suppliers to the Élysée and a symbol of the luxury and tradition of French manufacturing.
The affair caused surprise in France and raised questions about the internal control mechanisms of the palace, seat of the French government and symbol of the Republic. Authorities said they would step up security measures to prevent similar events from happening in the future.
The suspect will be tried on charges of aggravated theft and criminal conspiracy, in a process that promises to reveal details of how the scheme developed within one of the country’s most important institutions. The recovered pieces are currently being examined to confirm their origin in the collection of the Élysée Palace.
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