The head of the British Museum has resigned over its handling of the suspected widespread theft of artefacts following a string of blunders that have prompted international embarrassment and questions about systemic failures.
Hartwig Fischer said he accepted responsibility for the museum's failure properly to respond to warnings about suspected thefts of thousands of objects in 2021.
It emerged last week that items from the musuem's collection were found to be "missing, stolen or damaged", prompting a police investigation.
In his resignation statement Fischer said: "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to the warnings in 2021, and to the problem that has now fully emerged."
He added: "The responsibility for that failure must ultimately rest with the director."
The museum's board of trustees accepted his resignation, with the former chancellor George Osborne - chairman of trustees - saying Fischer had "acted honourably" and that "no one has ever doubted Hartwig's integrity, his dedication to his job, or his love for the museum".
The museum said Fischer would step down "with immediate effect", but later clarified he would step down once an interim leadership arrangement was in place.
Fischer's sudden resignation came two days after he defended the museum's handling of a tip-off from Ittai Gradel, an author, academic and antiques dealer who raised the alarm about stolen artefacts.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin August 26, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin August 26, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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