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Jean Luc Martinez
Earlier last week, French authorities announced that former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez was being questioned as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged antiquities trafficking ring. Martinez, who oversaw the Paris museum from 2013 to 2021, was officially charged on Wednesday night in connection with the investigation on the grounds of "complicity of gang fraud and laundering," according to an official legal source." He was detained on Monday and interviewed for three days by the French Central Bureau for Combating Cultural Property Trafficking.
Martinez's detention and interrogation were part of a larger ongoing investigation into antiquities sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Martinez, who left the Louvre last year after an unsuccessful contract renewal campaign, cochaired the committee that approved acquisitions for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which has licensed the Louvre's name through 2037 as part of a t agreement between the French and UAE governments.
Martinez's "complicity" charges stem from allegations that he did not pay close attention to concerns raised by Marc Gabolde, an Egyptologist at the University of Montpellier. Gabolde was concerned about the exportation of an Egyptian stele, which was eventually purchased by the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Martinez previously denied any wrongdoing but refused to comment after being charged. The Louvre has not responded to the ongoing investigation.
Jean Dubreil 
