CAIRO - The manager of an Egyptian museum, which used to house a painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh before it was stolen last week, told prosecutors Sunday that Culture Minister Farouq Hosni had an idea that the museum's surveillance and alert systems were not working. "Yes, Minister Hosni had learned that the museum's cameras and alert systems were broken down. He was verbally notified while on a visit to the museum with a Russian group of tourists," said Reem Bahir, the manager of the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo. Bahir, who was questioned yesterday over the theft of van Gogh's “Poppy Flowers”, added that Hosni had asked Mohsen Shaalan, his under-secretary who is being held in custody over the theft, to renovate the museum's curtains. "Shaalan complained to him that the cameras and alert systems did not work, and Hosni said that we have no funds for this now, and to just start with the curtains," said Bahir, who was released on bail. Shaalan has filed a report against Hosni with the Prosecution General, saying that he shares the responsibility for the theft. Minister Hosni visited the prosecution to point out that he was ready to be questioned over Shaalan's allegations. "The Minister is ready to be questioned at any time," a source closed to Hosni was quoted as saying. The robbery of van Gogh's “Poppy Flowers”, reportedly worth an estimated $50 million, was blamed on poor security, including broken cameras and a failed alarm system at the museum. Deputy Minister of Culture Shaalan and four museum employees were arrested and accused of negligence and not enforcing better security measures to protect the collections. They are now in police custody pending further questioning. A search for the painting is still underway, as Egyptian tycoon Naguib Sawiris offered a reward of one million Egyptian pounds (about 175,000 dollars) for information leading to the recovery of the stolen masterpiece. In 1978, the same painting was stolen but returned shortly afterward from Kuwait, sparking a debate in Egypt about whether the artwork was a fake.
