The Coțofenești Helmet and two of the three Dacian gold bracelets stolen from the Drents Museum last year have been returned to Romania. Stán Rares-Petru and Daniela Buriana of the Romanian Prosecutor’s Office received the art treasures on Thursday afternoon from Chief Public Prosecutor Corien Fahner of the North Netherlands Public Prosecutor’s Office. This took place in the Old Council Chamber of the Province of Drenthe in Assen. This chamber forms part of the Drents Museum.
The extremely rare Romanian artefacts were stolen from the Drents Museum during the night of 24 to 25 January 2025. The archaeological masterpieces were handed over yesterday to the Public Prosecution Service (OM) in the Northern Netherlands following intervention by the defence.
Rollercoaster
“We are incredibly pleased with the return of these exceptional art treasures. It has been a rollercoaster ride. Particularly for Romania, but also for staff at the Drents Museum,” said Chief Public Prosecutor Corien Fahner at the gathering. “Of course, we will continue to search for the Dacian bracelet that is still missing.”
Main objectives
From the moment of the theft, the police and the Public Prosecution Service in the Northern Netherlands launched an investigation. Two main objectives were set out in that investigation: the return of the helmet to Romania and the tracing and prosecution of the main suspects in the theft.
Key
Following some excellent detective work, several suspects came to light shortly after the theft. In the Public Prosecution Service’s view, the North Netherlands Police have, through their investigation, laid a solid foundation for the trial against the three main suspects, which is due to begin on 14 April 2026.
“Based on that criminal investigation, the Public Prosecution Service has no evidence that anyone other than the three suspects was involved in the art theft from the Drents Museum. The key to solving the case therefore lay with the suspects themselves,” said Chief Public Prosecutor Fahner.
Discussions
The Public Prosecution Service has held several discussions with the defence. These discussions have led to agreements between the Public Prosecution Service and the defence. Fahner: “A condition for reaching trial agreements was the return of the art treasures. With the helmet and two of the bracelets, this has largely been achieved.”
Substantive proceedings
The Public Prosecution Service has recently informed the court of the agreements. The public prosecutors will provide further clarification in court regarding both the criminal investigation and the procedural agreements that have been made. Fahner: “Naturally, the Public Prosecution Service’s view on the sentence to be imposed will also be discussed.”
Police
The Public Prosecution Service is unable to comment on the process surrounding the return of the art treasures. According to the Chief Public Prosecutor, this is partly due to operational security considerations. “I would, however, like to thank the police once again for their efforts in investigating the authenticity of the helmet and the bracelets. I would also like to thank them for arranging the transport.”