Missing jewels worth €7m turn up in hotel cleaner's cupboard

Thursday 09 February 2012

Five years after they disappeared, jewels belonging to the wife of the former US ambassador to the Netherlands have turned up in the home of a hotel cleaner in The Hague.

Dawn Arnall thought the jewelry had been stolen and reported the loss to the police. However, the collection was found in the un-named hotel lounge by a cleaner and was placed in the hotel lost and found department, waiting to be claimed by its rightful owner.

After six months, the cleaner was allowed to take what was presumed to be costume jewelry home. Last year, she took the jewels to be assessed and was told they were worth €7m. It is not clear from the media reports what the jewelry looked like.

Reward

The jewels have now been sent back to the US, a police spokesman told the paper. The finder has not yet had a reward, although the Arnalls did get an insurance pay-out, the Telegraaf points out.

According to Nos television, the cleaner had hoped for a 10% finders fee, but the foreign insurance firm is under no obligation to pay.

The ambassador himself, Roland Arnall, died in March 2008, shortly after cutting short his term in office and returning to the US to take care of his seriously-ill son.

© DutchNews.nl

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