The French lawyer pointed out the responsibility of the state for the theft in the Louvre

The theft at the Louvre Museum was the work of professionals who knew the place perfectly well and chose the right moment, and the state is responsible for what happened. This was announced to Izvestia on October 19 by French lawyer Alain Duflo.

He noted that security controls at the museum, which is visited by thousands of people every day, remain superficial. The robbery took place in the part of the Louvre where repairs were being carried out and the video surveillance system was not activated.

"A group of three people acted very quickly and were able to steal many items — about a dozen valuable jewelry belonging to Napoleon and his wife, which have invaluable historical value," the lawyer noted.

He added that from a legal point of view, such a crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, taking into account the aggravating circumstances.

In addition, Duflo noted that the responsibility for what happened lies not with the director of the museum, who is now being accused by the media, but with the state, since the Louvre is a national state museum subordinate to the Ministry of Culture. The director acts within the framework of the opportunities provided by the state. The specialist drew attention to the fact that the cultural sphere in France is currently underfunded.

"I'm afraid that similar incidents may happen again, in Paris or elsewhere. After all, even if the Louvre, perhaps the most protected museum in France, turned out to be vulnerable, then what about hundreds of other museums in the country where there are no detection and control systems or they are extremely limited," the lawyer concluded.

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The Louvre robbery became known earlier that day. According to the newspaper Le Parisien, several intruders broke windows in the main Paris museum and stole jewelry. They managed to escape. It was reported that the perpetrators were armed. The Louvre administration has closed the museum to the public.

On the same day, Le Parisien reported that the broken crown of Emperor Napoleon III's wife Eugenie was found near the Louvre after a robbery. According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, the robbery "lasted seven minutes."

Later, the newspaper reported that the criminals had not touched the largest diamond from Napoleon's collection, the Regent, weighing more than 140 carats. According to the newspaper, as a result of the incident, items were stolen from the "Napoleon" and "French Monarchs" showcases.

According to the Izvestia correspondent, there is currently "a commotion" at the Louvre: visitors have been evacuated, and police officers are in the room looking for evidence and checking surveillance cameras.

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