The helmet from Coțofenești, stolen in January 2025 from the Dutch Museum in Drents, has been recovered.
Along with it, two Dacian bracelets stolen in the same heist on the morning of January 25 last year have also been recovered. The third Dacian bracelet is still missing.
Dutch authorities presented the Dacian treasure at a press conference held at the Museum in Drents, stating that it was found intact.
Corien Fahner, chief prosecutor of the North Holland province, stated that the suspects have reached plea agreements with the authorities, and the heritage objects were handed over on Wednesday by their lawyers.
"The art objects were handed over to us yesterday through the suspects' lawyers. Procedural agreements were reached during the process. These agreements will soon be discussed in the courtroom. This means that the suspects have assisted the authorities in recovering the art treasures. It was a challenging period for the theft of artifacts.
Significant resources were allocated for the investigation and recovery of heritage objects. We continue the investigation to find the third bracelet; we are grateful that we are now in a position to return these treasures to the Romanian people," she stated.
What the ICCJ Prosecutor's Office Says
Stan Rareș-Petru and Daniela Buruiană, representatives of the Romanian Prosecutor's Office, took over the artifacts from the North Holland Prosecutor's Office on Thursday afternoon.
"Following the investigations carried out within the joint investigative team established between the judicial authorities of the Netherlands and Romania, three of the heritage objects from the "Treasure" category, stolen on January 24, 2025, from the exhibition 'Dacia! Rijk van goud en zilver/Dacia! Regatul aurului şi argintului,' organized by the Drents Museum, have been recovered.
Today, at the Drents museum headquarters, the Dutch judicial authorities handed over to the Romanian authorities the recovered heritage objects, namely the helmet from Coțofenești and two of the three Dacian gold bracelets," announced the General Prosecutor's Office.
Romania Will Return the Money
The recovery of the objects follows an extensive investigation conducted by Dutch authorities, during which several individuals have already been arrested and are currently undergoing various judicial procedures.
Judicial sources previously indicated that investigators have also analyzed possible links to criminal networks in Romania, but there are no official conclusions on this matter yet.
The Romanian state has received compensation of millions of euros for the four heritage objects stolen from a museum in the Netherlands.
Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu stated on Thursday that she discussed with her Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, regarding the recovery of heritage objects.
She specifies that Romania has received the sum of 5.85 million euros, and these funds will be returned after specialized expertise confirms the preservation status of the objects.
The Minister further stated that the process continues in Assen for the responsible parties to be held accountable, but the joy of recovering the treasure is already complete.
Nicuşor Dan's Reaction
President Nicuşor Dan congratulated the Romanian and Dutch prosecutors who were part of the joint investigative team and succeeded in recovering the treasure.
"I am pleased that the Dacian bracelets and the helmet from Coțofenești have been recovered, and I congratulate the Romanian and Dutch prosecutors who were part of the joint investigative team. I also appreciate the support of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust)," Nicuşor Dan wrote on Facebook.
He appreciates that "Romanian authorities have the responsibility to take on, in the future, a much more careful management of objects of exceptional historical and cultural importance for the Romanian heritage, through stricter and correctly applied rules."
"The national treasure is part of our historical identity, and its safekeeping means more than just a cultural act: it means protecting symbols that define us, have a strong impact on society as a whole, and represent the heritage of future generations," the president further conveyed.