Kunsthal art theft trial delayed
The trial of six Romanians charged with stealing seven paintings worth €17m from Rotterdam’s Kunsthal museum was delayed on Tuesday until September.
The court in Bucharest agreed to suspend the hearings until September 10, according to Dutch media reports.
Five people are in custody in connection with last year’s heist and one is still on the run.
Fire
The fate of the seven paintings, which include works by Monet, Picasso and Gauguin, is still unclear. The mother of one defendant claimed she had burned them in a stove, but later retracted her statement. Analysis of ashes at her home found traces of oil paint and nails.
However, the lawyer of one the defendants told Tuesday’s hearing the paintings are still intact and can be returned to the Netherlands, news agency ANP said.
It took the gang just a few minutes to steal the paintings from the Kunsthal on October 16.
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