CAIRO - Egypt's Prosecutor General Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud Monday referred Mohssen Shaalan, the First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Head of Sector of Fine Arts, together with 10 other defendants, to the Criminal Court to be tried over the theft of van Gogh's painting 'Poppy Flowers' from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Giza last month.
Abdel-Maguid had earlier ordered that Shaalan and the other defendants be held in custody on charges of negligence and shortcomings in the performance of their jobs that led to the loss of the $55 million 'Poppy Flowers' on August 21.
Shaalan and a number of museum officials said they had asked the Culture Minister for nearly $7 million to upgrade security systems, including at the Mahmoud Khalil Museum, but that only $88,000 was approved.
Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni had earlier defended his ministry in his testimony before the Prosecutor General.
"I volunteered my statement so that I can defend my ministry against the accusationsit faces and against all the accusations Shaalan has filled the newspapers with," Hosni told reporters after meeting with prosecutors.
According to a statement by Reem Baher, the Mahmoud Khalil Museum director, Hosni knew about the dysfunctional cameras and alarm system but said there was no budget for upgrading them.
