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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Minister of Culture in Italy, Vittorio Sgarbi, has resigned amid accusations of theft of paintings, accusations which he has denied. Sgarbi gave his resignation notice before the start of a lecture in Milan, saying he was leaving to avoid a conflict of interest.
The former minister is a friend of Prime Minister Edi Rama with whom he attended joint cultural activities. He has also visited Tirana before, where he shared photos from the meeting with Rama.
Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Sgarbi, a well-known art critic, stole and modified a 17th-century painting. "The Capture of Saint Peter" was reported stolen in 2013. The former minister is accused of altering the painting by adding a candle in the upper corner, allegedly to hide its origin.
The politician says he found the work during the restoration of a villa bought by his mother more than 20 years ago. He says that the painting is original, while the one stolen in 2013 was a copy.
The accusations against him were raised after an investigation by the Report program on the Italian Rai television. The owner of the castle, who reported the theft of the painting, told reporters that the canvas was cut from the frame in 2013.
She also said a friend of Sgarbi's had previously visited the property and expressed an interest in buying the work. The program also stated that it had discovered that another friend of the politician later transferred a damaged painting of "The Capture of St. Peter" to a restorer.
It was said to have a hole of the same shape as a piece of canvas cut from the frame of the Piedmont castle in 2013. By the time the restored work was exhibited by Sgarbi in 2021, the painting had the addition of the candle in the upper corner.
In addition, he is also facing charges related to another work: a painting attributed to the French artist Valentin de Boulogne, worth 5 million euros, which was seized by the police in Montecarlo. Sgarbi is being investigated by a prosecutor for the illegal export of the painting.
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