KEY POINTS:
An elaborate deal between police and an accused criminal has led to the recovery of three priceless artefacts stolen from the University of Auckland.
Police arranged for minor charges to be dropped against the man, who arranged the return of the artefacts.
The 1920s portrait by Charles Goldie, copy of the Oxford Lectern Bible and set of seven Colin McCahon poems are valued at $207,000 but are considered irreplaceable.
They were stolen from the university library during the 2005 Christmas holidays.
Details of the exchange were suppressed in the Auckland District Court last week to protect the man's identity. Details of the charges he faced are also suppressed.
However, it is possible to report that the man was not involved in the theft but had learned who had taken the items and where they were. The exchange began with an anonymous email to a detective investigating the theft. Over a series of emails, the man said he had learned where the items were and that police would never find them. He raised the charges he faced as a bargaining chip - one that police eventually agreed to. The negotiation was conducted in secret, and included a show of "good faith" when the man returned the Oxford Lectern Bible. The deal was concluded last week with the return of the Goldie.
