Romanian police return 10 stolen paintings worth over EUR 90,000 to Italy

Romanian police have returned 10 paintings worth more than EUR 90,000 to the Italian authorities after recovering the artworks during an investigation into an international art theft case. The paintings had been stolen from a home in northern Italy in 2024 before being illegally brought to Romania, the authorities said.

The artworks were formally handed over on July 7 by the Romanian Police's Criminal Investigations Directorate to representatives of the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, following an investigation coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Constanța Tribunal.

The investigation began after Romanian criminal investigators received information that the paintings, suspected to originate from crimes committed in Italy, were located in Romania.

The authorities established that the artworks had been stolen on August 23, 2024, from a home in Bassano del Grappa before being illegally transported to Romania. The estimated damage exceeded EUR 90,000.

During searches carried out on March 6-7, 2025, in Constanța County, the police recovered all 10 paintings, along with several digital storage devices and computer systems. The investigation also documented the alleged criminal activity of four Romanian citizens, who are being investigated for aggravated theft and the illegal import of cultural property into Romania.

The Romanian police said cooperation with the Italian authorities was carried out through official judicial and law enforcement channels, with secure information exchanges facilitated by Europol.

Representatives of the Romanian Police, the Constanța Prosecutor's Office, the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the Italian Embassy in Romania, and the Bucharest Municipal Museum attended the handover ceremony.

(Photo source: Politiaromana.ro)