Plunder and loot
Heaven knows how many other paintings and so on have gone missing from embassies, offices and even the presidential palace. When presidents and prime ministers receive gifts, they are received on behalf of the state, not personally, yet we have no way of knowing how many have been whisked off to private homes.
The Times, Tuesday, 13 January
Case of the missing painting
John Manduca, MdinaI read in The Times of London that several paintings displayed in British embassies all over the world had gone missing. This reminded me of an unfortunate incident in which Malta was involved after I had served as Malta’s High Commissioner in London. Malta, it seems, is in good (or rather bad) company!
Our honorary legal adviser in London, Michael Rapinet, had generously presented our government with a fine oil painting of Westminister Abbey by Willie Apap, the outstanding Maltese artist. The painting was placed in our conference room in Kensington Square, and Head Office was duly informed. Mr Rapinet never received a “thank you” letter from our government for his gesture. This is bad enough. But there was worse to come.
Some time ago when Mr Rapinet paid a courtesy call on the High Commissioner in London he enquired about the painting and was told: “Painting? What painting?” In other words Mr Apap’s painting had “disappeared”. When informed of this, I had written to the permanent secretary at our Foreign Office and informed her of this loss, enclosing a photograph. To my dismay I received no reply or acknowledgment from this top civil servant.
My second and third reminders were likewise treated in this manner. Mr Rapinet also wrote to the permanent secretary – again I did not receive a reply. Is this display of bad manners meted out to other Maltese and non-Maltese citizens? I am afraid it is.
I would like to think that replying to letters (like punctuality) forms part of civilised behaviour endorsed by a Foreign Office. Alas, it not always seems to be so. Thankfully, I had also written to the then minister and after one year and three months from the date of my first letter, received a somewhat tatty reply, partly in ink and partly in a printed form, by a “private secretary” stating that the ministry was doing “its best” to locate the painting.
To the best of my knowledge the Apap painting is still missing. Is nobody accountable?
Comments
George Saliba
As a retired Ambassador I remember that when I arrived in Tripoli I found paintings by Caruana Dingli and by Esprit Barthet, amongst others. These were not in the inventory, we did create the usual inventory and there was the system of keeping a Special Inventory for special items. All new Ambassadors have to sign the inventory when they arrive and are to report any missing itmes. I remember being called by the Ministry after I left Tripoli to ask about a steam iron which was missing. ( I had sent it for repair). MFA has no way it can wriggle out of a missing painting and such things should not be allowed to go unpunished, both for the sake of the national heritage and also for the proper administration of MFA, if good administration still exists.Oswald Tanti
One would expect the Auditor General to look into this case and if necessary draw the attention of those concerned. It has been quite some time since this painting went missing and reminds one of possibly similar incidents. In my days as a civil servant the maintenance of Office Inventories was a MUST with inventory lists displayed in each and every room. Rigid annual control was exercised by the Auditor’s staff for much less valuable items, let alone those of significant value that could be found in the various Government Departments/Offices and Institutions. Is it still the practice to carry out such inventory inspections? Ultimately who is to be held accountable for the safe keeping of those items listed on the Government Inventories?
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Kemm ahna fqar hanina! Miljun kumment fuq l-imigranti u fuq dan il-hsieb/artiklu lanqas kumment imgiddem!
Ma’ nafx matt555 ,forsi kien hemm xi ftit informazzjoni tahraq ?
Can we mention Caius Verres , the Roman Governor of Malta who looted the Temple of Juno and was unmasked by Cicero? It seems it is the safest time we can go back without being sued in court by relatives.
Maybe we can do that as well!
@ mat555
I was thinking that myself and admit was feeling lazy. As if we have time to worry about a missing painting by Willie Apap when we are so busy getting into a state about who might sit next to us on the bus or take one of the beds at Mater Dei.
X’kumment trid tghaddi, mat555? Fuq das-suggett m’hemmx kontroversja.