Former Louvre Manager Accused of Hiding Origin of Egypt's Artefacts

French former president of the Louvre museum in Paris Jean-Luc Martinez has been accused of conspiring to hide the origin of Egyptian archaeological treasures that investigators suspect were smuggled out of the country during the Arab Spring uprisings, according to the British Guardian news website.

His accusation came after two French specialists in Egyptian art were questioned this week but released later without charge.

The suit began in July 2018, two years after the Louvre's branch in Abu Dhabi bought a rare pink granite stele depicting the pharaoh Tutankhamun and four other historic works for eight million euros ($8.5 million), the Guardian revealed.

Martinez, who managed the Paris Louvre from 2013 to 2021, is accused of turning a blind eye to fake certificates of origin for the pieces, a fraud thought to involve several other art experts, according to a report Wednesday in the Canard Enchaine investigative weekly, the British news website reported.

It's worth mentioning that he is accused of being behind smuggling many precious stolen Egyptian artefacts, including the gilded coffin of the priest Nedjemankh, which was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2017.