Nicușor Dan welcomes the recovery of the Dacian treasure and warns the Romanian authorities: They have this responsibility

President Nicușor Dan welcomed on Thursday, in a message posted online, the recovery of the Helmet from Coțofenești and two of the three gold Dacian bracelets stolen last year from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands. He congratulated the work of the investigators in this case and conveyed to the Romanian authorities that they must assume a much more careful management of such heritage objects in the future.

“I am glad that the Dacian bracelets and the Helmet from Coțofenești were recovered, and I congratulate the Romanian and Dutch prosecutors who were part of the joint investigation team. I also appreciate the support of the European Union Agency for Cooperation in Criminal Justice (Eurojust)”, Nicușor Dan wrote in a post on X.

The President states, in this context, that “the Romanian authorities have the responsibility to assume, in the future, a much more careful management of objects of exceptional historical and cultural importance for the Romanian heritage, through stricter and correctly applied rules”.

“The national treasure is part of our historical identity, and keeping it safe means more than a simple act of culture: it means protecting some symbols that define us, have a strong impact on the whole society and represent the heritage of future generations,” the head of state emphasized.

I am glad that the Dacian bracelets and the Coiful from Coțofenești were recovered and I congratulate the Romanian and Dutch prosecutors who were part of the joint investigation team. I also appreciate the support of the European Union Agency for Cooperation in Criminal Justice (Eurojust).…

— Nicusor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) April 2, 2026

The artifacts were returned to Romania

The gold helmet from Coţofeneşti and two of the three gold Dacian bracelets stolen last year from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands have been recovered, Dutch prosecutors announced on Thursday. In fact, during this day, the three art objects were handed over to the Romanian authorities, on Thursday, at the headquarters of the Drents Museum.

Rareş-Petru Stan and Daniela Buruiană, representatives of the Romanian Prosecutor's Office, took over the artefacts from the chief prosecutor Corien Fahner, from the North Holland Prosecutor's Office, on Thursday afternoon. The event took place in the Old Council Chamber, part of the Drents Museum in the province of Drenthe, in Assen, under increased security conditions, with law enforcement officers stationed not only at the entrance, but also near the pedestal where the artifacts were exhibited.

“We are extremely pleased with the return of these exceptional art treasures. It was a real adventure full of adventures. Especially for Romania, but also for the staff of the Drents Museum”, said the prosecutor Corien Fahner during the event, held in the presence of the press. “Of course, we will continue to search for the still-missing Dacian bracelet,” she added.

Romanian artifacts, almost 2,500 years old, were stolen from the Drents Museum on the night of January 24 to 25, 2025. The priceless pieces had been loaned by the National History Museum of Romania for a temporary exhibition.

The helmet has minor damage and will be able to be completely restored, said the director of the museum, Robert van Langh. The bracelets, on the other hand, are in perfect condition.

Present at the conference, Langh declared himself satisfied that the recovered artifacts are returning to where they belong and thanked the Dutch and Romanian police.

The Dutch prosecutor's office held several discussions with the suspects' lawyers. These discussions led to the conclusion of agreements between the Prosecutor's Office and the defense, note the EFE and Agerpres agencies. A condition for concluding court agreements was the return of the stolen objects. By recovering the helmet and two of the bracelets, this was largely achieved, explained the Dutch prosecutor.

Following negotiations, the three objects were handed over on Wednesday by the perpetrators of the theft through intermediaries. The Dutch prosecutor's office refused to provide details about the recovery process, as well as about any concessions made to the accused in exchange for the return of the parts. It is not known where the third bracelet is, nor where the objects were hidden in the 14 months since the theft.

Three men between the ages of 21 and 36 are in pre-trial detention for theft, and the court has already been informed about the agreements regarding the recovery of these goods. Their trial is scheduled to begin on April 14, 2026.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten praised the “persevering work” of the police in his weekly press conference on Thursday that enabled the recovery.

From Bucharest, Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu announced that, to solve the case at the Drents Museum, Romania and the Netherlands cooperated under the auspices of EUROJUST, by setting up a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), made up of prosecutors, judges and policemen from both states.