CAIRO: An Egyptian court late Tuesday sentenced 11 culture ministry officials to three years in prison over their negligence in the theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting from a Cairo museum. Despite the guilty verdict, all have been given bail pending an appeal. Among those sentenced is Deputy Culture Minister Mohsen Shaalan and the museum's director. Shalaan, the deputy culture minister responsible for the fine arts department, is the most prominent official to face charges in the robbery of the painting, Poppy Flowers that was stolen in August from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo and estimated to be worth some $50 million. A hunt for the artwork is still ongoing. Police inspections following the theft revealed that the museum had 43 surveillance cameras, of which only seven were found to be functioning. The museum's alarm systems were all faulty. A culture ministry official said on Wednesday that the verdict is part of the country's efforts to show that justice should be had “no matter what.” The official told Bikya Masr that the ministry “was watching closely the situation and hopes those responsible will be held accountable for what happened.” The museum was built on the Nile in 1920 as the residence of Egyptian art collector Khalil. The most conservative estimate of the value of the collection is 7 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.2 billion), a government website says. BM
