Stolen paintings damaged by mould

The paintings stolen from Judge Giovanni Bonello's residence in Valletta earlier on this year are of "multi-layered value", an art curator at Heritage Malta said yesterday.

Therese Vella explained that Heritage Malta had been appointed by the court to store the stolen paintings, which were recovered by the police, in a safe way that would ensure their preservation.

When estimating the value of the works of art one had to take note of the quality of the work, its historical value and its potential contribution to shedding light on the local art landscape, she said.

In the case of the 30 stolen paintings, she added, she could give a lecture on each one.

She was testifying before Magistrate Lawrence Quintano in the compilation of evidence against Ian Farrugia, 30, of Sta Venera, who is pleading not guilty to the theft of works of art valued at over Lm1,000 from the judge's residence, damaging property, receiving stolen goods and relapsing on April 5 or some time before.

Farrugia is one of two men charged with the burglary. In a separate case Joseph Portelli, 32, of Birkirkara, admitted to handling the stolen paintings but maintained a not guilty plea to taking part in the theft and causing damage to Judge Bonello's property.

In yesterday's sitting, Dominic Cutajar explained that he had been appointed by the court to examine the paintings at a garage were they had been found by the police and, later, at the police headquarters.

He remembered seeing paintings between two walls in the garage. Four of them were covered by a cloth that had absorbed humidity which led to the cultivation of mould both on the cloth and the paintings.

He also said he had been asked to draw up a damage report in which he also included the estimated value of the paintings.

The case continues.