Silver steward is one of three people arrested in connection with alleged theft from presidential residence
A silver steward employed at the Élysée Palace in Paris has been arrested for stealing silverware and porcelain, amid a wave of thefts from high-profile French institutions.
Investigators arrested the man and two alleged accomplices last week. They are accused of taking the objects from the official Paris residence of the French president and trying to sell them on online auction websites such as Vinted.
The head steward at the palace alerted authorities to the missing objects, some of which are deemed items of national heritage. The items are estimated to have a combined value of up to €40,000 (£35,000).
Most of the pieces came from the Sèvres Manufactory in Paris, a famed porcelain factory that has been owned by the French state since 1759. Investigators began to question Élysée staff after factory personnel recognised some of the missing items on auction sites.
