MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British Museum director Fischer steps down over stolen gems and jewelry

Fischer is originally from Germany and was the first non British head of the museum in more than two centuries.

British Museum director Hartwig Fischer stepped down on Friday after it was reveled that numerous artifacts were stolen. A number of items in the museum's collection were reported stolen two years ago, including gems and jewelry from centuries ago. “The responsibility for that failure must ultimately rest with the director,” Fischer said.

Fischer is originally from Germany and was the first non British head of the museum in more than two centuries.

The outgoing director said lapses in museum procedures allowed the items to be taken. “Over the last few days I have been reviewing in detail the events around the thefts from the British Museum and the investigation into them.”

“It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have to the warnings in 2021, and to the problem that has now fully emerged,” Fischer said

The museum's board of trustees, chaired by former British finance minister George Osborne, accepted Fischer's resignation.

“I am clear about this: we are going to fix what has gone wrong,” Osborne said.

According to the museum, the stolen items included gold, jewelry and semi-precious gems dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century A.D.

It previously said that the items were mostly “small pieces kept in a storeroom belonging to one of the museum's collections.”

None of the items had been on public display recently, and they were kept mainly for academic and research purposes, it added.

London's Metropolitan Police said on Thursday it had interviewed a man in relation to the reported thefts, and the museum said it was taking legal action against the same individual. No arrests have been made.

The British Museum is one of the most famous galleries in the world, but in recent years it has come under pressure to address the legacy of items that were acquired during the British Empire.

Critics say some priceless artifacts in the museum's were stolen from around the world. These include some of the museum's prized exhibits, the Parthenon Marbles from Greece and the Benin Bronzes from Nigeria.