Two thieves from Britain who robbed a Geneva museum are on trial in Switzerland.
In June 2019, three unidentified men wearing masks and gloves broke into the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva, where Chinese and Japanese ceramics, jade and artwork were on display. They used a crowbar and a sledgehammer to break open the door and display cases. They managed to steal several exhibits, including a rare Chinese vase from the early 15th century, made during the reign of Emperor Yongle. When insured, its value was estimated at 2.5 million dollars
Police officers managed to track down and capture the two thieves: 45-year-old Stuart Ahern and his younger brother, 34-year-old Luis Ahern. Louis had visited the museum beforehand to find out where and what was kept, while Stuart rented the car used during the theft. He claims he had to join in as he could not leave his brother in distress. “I got a call saying my brother was in debt and needed to bring something,” he explained. Neither Luis nor Stuart want to give away the accomplice and assure that they were only executors. The organization, they claim, was handled by someone else.
“I was asked to come to Switzerland to work as a driver. But then the third man replayed the whole thing, changed the scenario. And he’s not the kind of guy you can say no to. Not a very nice man.” – Louis Ahern
After the theft, the brothers traveled to Hong Kong and sold one of the stolen vases at auction. They managed to get £80,000 for it. The sold vase was later returned to the Geneva museum from where it had
