Private detective commissioned in hunt for missing art treasure

Deputy Minister of Culture Aleksandra Jakubowska has asked the country's most famous detective, Andrzej Rutkowski, to launch a private investigation in search of Adolf Wildt's priceless 19th-century sculpture "Gardener's head" which was stolen in November last year. Monika M. from Ostroda, working for Warsaw University's Institute of Archeology had been accused of stealing it. "I have no faith in the local police and that is why I asked Rutkowski to investigate, as he is my Sejm colleague. If he can find a mass-produced car, then I hope he can find such a culturally significant sculpture. I also hope he will be able to prove Monika M's innocence," said Jakubowska. Rutkowski said he would try to help, but would not take any money for the investigation and suspected that the treasure may already have been taken to Germany. "I am really sorry that Minister Jakubowska has such a bad opinion of our work. If deputy Rutkowski finds the sculpture, I will congratulate him," said an Ostroda police spokesman. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 8) M.M.