Legal action is being taken by the museum against an unnamed member of staff, who has been sacked.
Tim Loughton told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that news of items going missing from the museum’s collection in London is “damaging” but the institution is taking the thefts “seriously”.
The museum has not specified how many items have been stolen or detailed what the missing items are, saying only that they were “small pieces” including “gold jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD”.Mr Loughton said: “What is particularly damaging is blatant opportunism of the Greeks and others saying ‘Oh no, the British Museum is not safe…’ It’s incredibly rare that things go missing.
The country has long claimed they were illegally acquired during a period of foreign occupation, while British officials have rebuffed repeated demands for their return.Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and expert in recovering stolen art, told the PA news agency that the theft exposes the museum to questions over the safety of the ancient sculptures.
The head of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, Despina Koutsoumba, said her colleagues are “worried” about how many Greek items are missing.
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