French auditors slam Louvre bosses over lavish spending, weak security

Auditors investigating spending at the Louvre Museum over six years found more cash had been spent on acquiring artworks than protecting the treasures inside the building. REUTERS - Abdul Saboor

France’s top auditors sharply criticised Louvre Museum bosses on Thursday for spending millions of euros on high-profile exhibitions and expensive purchases instead of improving security and maintaining the historic building.

Nearly three weeks after thieves broke into the Paris museum and escaped with €90 million worth of precious jewels, the Cour des comptes (Court of Auditors), France’s public spending watchdog, released its findings on Louvre operations between 2018 and 2024.