Paris: Following a brazen daylight heist last month, France's audit office on Thursday criticized the Louvre Museum for favoring showy initiatives over ensuring safety and security.

According to Anadolu Agency, "The Court found that the museum prioritized visible and attractive initiatives - such as art acquisitions and exhibition redesigns - at the expense of building maintenance and renovation, particularly regarding technical, safety, and security installations," the Court of Accounts said in a report. It highlighted that the museum has fallen "significantly behind" in upgrading its technical infrastructure and restoring the palace itself.

The office revealed that the museum allocated a total of £87 million ($100 million) to maintenance, compliance work, and palace restoration, which is "half the amount" spent on exhibition renovations and art acquisitions. The report emphasized the need for the museum to prioritize projects crucial to securing its future, rather than expanding its collections ambitiously. Over eight years, the museum acquired 2,754 works, of which fewer than one in four are currently on display.

Last month, a group of thieves executed a meticulously planned heist, parking a stolen truck outside the Louvre and using a furniture lift to access the first floor. They broke into one of the museum's most ornate rooms and swiftly escaped on scooters with royal jewels, including a necklace gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie. Thus far, four people have been charged in connection with the theft, including a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman whose DNA was reportedly found on the lift used in the operation.