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J Paul Getty Trust president (Barry Munitz)resigns

Saturday, 11 February 2006

J Paul Getty Trust president resigns

Barry Munitz the president of art body The J Paul Getty Trust, which oversees the prestigious Getty Museum in Los Angeles, has resigned now that an inquiry has been launched over allegations that the trust's assets were misused.

Munitz left the position on Thursday after holding it for the last eight years.

The now ex-president of the trust received no severance package and is required to pay $250,000 (£143,000) to resolve any disputes left outstanding, without admitting any wrongdoing.

"I am taking this action, after lengthy consideration, so both the institution and I can move forward," Barry Munitz said.

The J Paul Getty Trust also deals with art conservation and research.

This resignation is the latest problem for the trust, which, in 2005, returned artworks that were supposedly stolen from Italy.

The US Council on Foundations - the nation's leading group of charitable organisations - launched an investigation into the trust's financial affairs, after it was reported in the Los Angeles Times about alleged extravagant spending by Barry Munitz.

Last December the council placed the trust on a 60-day probation for failing to come up with acceptable documentation for its review.

Then last year the curator Marion True resigned a month before appearing in a court in Rome where she was charged with the traffic of stolen antiquities.

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