Deputy minister jailed for negligence
van Gogh's Poppy Flowers
Egypt's Deputy Culture Minister Mohsen Shalan has been sentenced to three years in jail for negligence which led to the theft of a Vincent van Gogh's painting. He was released on bail of US$1,750 (RM5,400), pending an appeal. Also jailed were Reem Bahirthe - director of the Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil museum in Cairo, where the painting was stolen - and nine officials of the Culture Ministry. All were found guilty of negligence by an Egyptian court.
The painting - known as both Poppy Flowers and Vase and Flowers - was cut out of its frame and stolen in broad daylight on Aug 21. It is worth about US$50m. Investigations found that none of the museum's alarms were activated and only seven of the 43 security cameras were functioning. It also revealed that only one guard was on duty at the museum at the time of the theft. During the trial, museum officials said they had known about the problems but were given no budget to improve security.
