Romanians arrested over Dutch art heist claim innocence; court denied the suspects bail

BUCHAREST (AFP).- Three Romanians arrested last week in connection with the theft of seven masterpieces from a Rotterdam museum, including works by Monet and Picasso, claimed their innocence in court Friday.

The men, charged with conspiracy and aggravated theft, have been linked to at least two of the artworks — a Matisse and a Gauguin — which they allegedly tried to sell in Romania.

Their defense lawyers told the court during a bail hearing Friday that they were innocent even though one of them twice visited the museum where the seven masterpieces, estimated at between 100 and 200 million euros ($135 million and $270 million), were stolen.

However, the court denied the suspects bail.

Doina Lupu, lawyer of Radu Dogaru and Eugen Darie, not seen, is surrounded by the media in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Lawyers for three Romanians Mihai Alexandru Bitu, Radu Dogaru and Eugen Darie, charged with stealing valuable paintings from a museum in the Netherlands last year, including works by Picasso, Monet and Matisse say there is insufficient evidence to charge them. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda.

Eugen Darie, dressed in sweatpants and anorak, told the court he visited Rotterdam Kunsthall museum at around the time of the theft last October but never laid eyes on the stolen paintings he and his co-defendants allegedly tried to sell.

“I didn’t see the paintings,” he said. “I only looked at bronze statues. I am innocent.”

Fellow suspect Radu Dogaru also told the court he had nothing to do with the heist, one of the most spectacular in the art world in the last 20 years, even though prosecutors says he was present when two of the works were offered to a Romanian businessman in the presence of an art expert.

Mihai Alexandru Bitu, the third suspect, also denied involvement.

His lawyer, Daniela Dede, told AFP that her client “just received a call from his co-defendant Dogaru who asked him to find a buyer for some objects. He didn’t know it was these paintings.”

The suspects, all in their 20s, have been detained for questioning since their arrest on January 22. Under Romanian law, they can be held for 29 days.

All three of them have been under investigation for violent offences in the past.

Romania’s police chief Petre Toba said Thursday that investigators had evidence leading them to believe that several other people had taken part in the theft.

A person from Moldova is said to have been present when the paintings were offered for sale, one of the defence lawyer told AFP.

Investigators also believe that an Albanian man investigated for murder in Romania may have helped the suspects in The Netherlands, sources close from the investigation told Mediafax news agency.

The heist gripped the Netherlands and the art world as police apparently struggled to piece the crime together, despite putting 25 officers on the case.

Dutch police released grainy security camera footage of the theft, which took place around 3:00 am. The footage showed two apparently young males entering and leaving the museum in central Rotterdam within barely 90 seconds.

The works stolen include Picasso’s “Tete d’Arlequin”, Monet’s “Waterloo Bridge” and Lucian Freud’s “Woman with Eyes Closed”.