Overview
- France’s Court of Auditors criticized slow modernization of the Louvre’s protection systems and highlighted 2018–2024 spending of about €27 million on maintenance, €60 million on restoration and €105 million on acquisitions.
- The stolen crown jewels, valued at roughly €88 million in material terms, remain missing as police pursue a fourth perpetrator and possible organizers.
- Prosecutors say the detained suspects—three men and one woman aged 34 to 39—are small-time criminals; DNA links and two partial confessions underpin the case.
- Investigators say the October 19 theft was executed in minutes using a freight elevator to access a first-floor window, smashed display cases and a scooter escape.
- Previous audits reported glaring vulnerabilities, including trivial passwords for security systems and outdated, unmaintained software such as Windows Server 2003 and legacy tools.