Nave stated that five days after the robbery, his company received an encrypted message from a representative of the robbers, who offered to discuss the terms of selling the stolen items on the dark web. He set a 24-hour deadline to start negotiations.
After that, CGI Group began discussions and, after confirming that the interlocutor had several stolen items, passed this information to their client. The client, in turn, notified the Louvre's management. However, according to Tsvika Nave, the museum did not respond for six days.
He also mentioned that several months ago, in an interview with the Italian publication Il Tempo, he warned about possible plans to rob the Louvre, specifically that the target could be Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."
“We lost trust in the thieves, and the Louvre missed a real chance to recover its treasures. Unfortunately, selfishness and indecision got in the way,” noted Tsvika Nave.
It was previously reported that the police arrested five suspects in this crime.
Recall that the robbery took place early in the morning on October 19. As a result of the theft, nine pieces of 19th-century jewelry were stolen, including the crown of Empress Eugenie, which the robbers dropped and damaged during their escape (the crown was later found). The list of stolen items also includes a necklace of emeralds and diamonds, given by Napoleon to his wife, a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, adorned with nearly two thousand diamonds, as well as a necklace of Queen Maria Amalia with eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.
