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Six Georgians Jailed for Theft of Rare Russian Books in France
Investigators said the group replaced works with near-undetectable copies after stealing books worth millions from major French libraries.
- Six Georgians received prison sentences in France on Friday for stealing rare 19th-century Russian literary classics from prestigious libraries; the group faced charges of criminal conspiracy with intent to commit an offense.
- Investigators found the thieves repeatedly requested access to rare manuscripts, photographing and measuring them to create virtually undetectable copies, with Mikheil Z. visiting the BnF 40 times to request Pushkin manuscripts between March and October 2023.
- The prosecutor stressed the theft was "massive, organised, planned and executed with meticulousness and cynicism," while impacts extended to Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, spurring a joint investigation under Europol and Eurojust.
- Mikheil Z. received seven years in prison, while Beqa T. was sentenced to four years; two additional defendants were sentenced in absentia after being arrested in Georgia, which does not extradite its citizens.
- None of the stolen works have been found, though BnF lawyer Alexandre de Konn said the institution "has not given up hope of recovering these works," as investigators suspect the heists may aim to repatriate Russian cultural heritage.
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The court in Paris sentenced six Georgian citizens to 18 months to seven years ' imprisonment for stealing rare books of Russian writers from European libraries.
·Riga, Latvia
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They struck in five countries: in France, a Georgian gang has been convicted of stealing valuable original editions of Russian literature.
·Germany
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Radio France Internationale+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Six Georgians jailed for theft of rare Russian books in France
Six Georgians have been sentenced to up to seven years' jail in France over the theft of rare editions of Russian literary classics, including by 19th-century luminary Alexander Pushkin, from prestigious French libraries.
·Paris, France
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Total News Sources21
Leaning Left4Leaning Right5Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution38% Right
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources lean Right
38% Right
L 31%
C 31%
R 38%
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