The man, a 46-year-old citizen of Georgia who for legal reasons cannot be named, is charged with stealing eight books in total, avoiding detection by swapping them out with convincing-looking copies, along with an accomplice who is still at large and whose identity is unknown, Õhtuleht reports.

The Southern District Prosecutor's Office filed a charge of grand larceny as part of a group, which can in the case of a guilty verdict lead to either a five-year prison term or a fine.

Southern District Prosecutor Laura Bellen said the accused had been arrested initially in Latvia having committed a similar crime in Riga, leading her to the conclusion that he and his accomplice, reportedly also a Georgian citizen, were not amateurs.

Regional daily Tartu Postimees had written in April that the pair had been granted access to the manuscripts after telling University of Tartu library staff of their desire to study the organization of censorship and printing policy in Russia in the early 19th century, seemingly engaged in the study for 10 days - it was only in August that the deception was noticed.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!