Louvre denies hiring 'Israeli' firm to investigate jewel heist

• The Louvre denies hiring an 'Israeli' firm to investigate the jewel heist.
• CGI Group claims it was asked to track down the stolen artefacts.
• The request allegedly came through an intermediary, not directly from the museum.
• French police are hunting thieves who stole nine priceless jewellery pieces.

Conflicting statements have emerged regarding the investigation into the daring jewel theft at the Louvre Museum over the weekend.

'Israeli' private intelligence firm CGI Group claimed earlier that the Louvre had sought its assistance in tracking down the stolen items. The company, headquartered in Tel Aviv, cited its previous success recovering stolen artefacts from Germany’s Green Vault museum in 2019.

"The Louvre exceptionally asked us to uncover the identity of people involved in the theft and to retrieve the stolen artefacts," said CGI Group CEO Zvika Naveh.

However, representatives of the Louvre denied any such request. "The Louvre management denies it," a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP), declining to provide further details.

When pressed for clarification, Naveh explained that the request came "via an intermediary acting on behalf of the Louvre and other entities, including insurance companies."

The stolen items include nine pieces of priceless jewellery, one of which, a crown adorned with more than 1,000 diamonds, was reportedly dropped by the thieves during their escape. French police continue to pursue the suspects.

The 2019 Green Vault heist in Dresden involved the theft of 18th-century jewels valued at 113 million euros (USD 132 million), a case CGI Group highlighted as part of its expertise in recovering stolen treasures.

The Louvre’s management has maintained that it did not directly contact any private investigators regarding the theft, leaving questions about the involvement of third-party intermediaries unresolved.