Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty said the painting called ‘The Seven Colors’ that was stolen from the Saqqara store has not been recovered, adding that as a minister he cannot do anything about it.
During an interview aired on the privately-owned TV channel MBC Masr 2 on Sunday, Damaty said, “I’m targeted by specific persons for fighting corruption in the ministry and confronting the theft of antiquities.” He added that he is being targeted for being a minister, in addition to personal motives.
He added that there are some antiquities being smuggled abroad and that the ministry is working on retrieving them. Nine suspects from the ministry have already been arrested for corruption.
Some thieves are working in the ministry, Damaty said, adding that they will soon be arrested. He also indicated that the antiquities and tourism police are performing their duties well, but they are too small a number to protect all the antiquities.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
