Louvre museum managers prioritised buying high-profile art over upgrades to security in the years prior to last month's heist, a new report has found.

The report, conducted by France's highest auditor, the Cour des Comptes, came after thieves made off with $102-million ($157 million) worth of crown jewels which exposed deep flaws in the Paris museum's security.

The criminals used a truck-mounted basket lift to reach a window of the Apollo Gallery and fled with the trove within minutes.

"The theft of the crown jewels is undoubtedly a deafening alarm bell," Pierre Moscovici, head of the court of auditors, said at a news conference.

The report was conducted entirely before the heist , focusing on the 2018-2024 period, but was officially released on Thursday, over two weeks after the rob

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