[MSN] France Recovers Stolen 13th-Century Hebrew Manuscript from US after paying legal expenses to good faith buyer. Christie's compensated the buyer.

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

 France Recovers Stolen 13th-Century Hebrew Manuscript from US
23:25 Jan 13, '07 / 23 Tevet 5767
by Gil Zohar

France has recovered an invaluable 13th-century Hebrew manuscript of the
Bible that was stolen from its National Library in Paris.


The document, known as Hebrew 52, which was sold to a New York Jewish
antiquities dealer, was returned to the National Library of France last
Saturday following a verdict by the New York State Supreme Court handed down
on Wednesday, January 3.

On May 19, 2000, the Brooklyn purchaser, a dealer in rare Hebraica named
Yosef Goldman, picked up the manuscipt by paying $358,000 at a Christie's
auction in New York.

Six years later the Bibliotheque Nationale de France filed suit against
Goldman, demanding the return of the stolen manuscript. This suit came after
a former chief curator of the library's Hebrew collection, Michel Garel, was
convicted in March 2006 of stealing Hebrew 52 in 1998. After pleading
innocent, he was fined 400,000 euros and given a two-year suspended
sentence.

The lawsuit against Goldman alleged that the manuscript he purchased was the
one known as 'Hebrew 52.' In July, 2006, Goldman in turn sued Christie's in
Brooklyn Supreme Court, saying the auction house should never have accepted
the work for auction, and that he should be refunded $358,000 in return for
the manuscript.

On January 10, 2007, The New York Times reported that a settlement had been
reached. After complex negotiations between French officials, Christie's and
Goldman, the manuscript was returned to the library, and Goldman received a
refund. Library officials said that Goldman purchased the manuscript in good
faith and had already resold it when its theft was discovered. France
reportedly agreed to cover some of Goldman's legal expenses.