I have to agree with many of the above in saying that the subtlety of implying that a sex scandal would jeopardize the right of the Greek nation to get the Marbles back is astonishing.
A scandal as such will undoubtably shake the credibility of the Greek government but isn't it perhaps a much greater crime to civilization that some of the finest pieces of art ever have been rendered into a incomplete jigsaw?

Athanassios D, Manchester, UK

Ha ha ha ha, a sex scandal is a reason for which the STOLEN Marbles should not be returned to their HOME country? And it's coming from the birthplace of morality, Britain!!! Indeed, British humor is like no other.

Vrasidas Komninos, Athens, Greece

I don't see a single line or phrase in this article that suggests any opinion about where the marbles should or should not be housed.
The fact that the Chief of Staff of the Culture Ministry was involved in such a scandal is problematic for the process of returning the marbles to their rightful place. After all, he has been intimately involved in this process and his absence as well as the scandal surrounding him will create nothing but problems, real or imagined. That is the consequence of poor leadership and prehaps in this case, also the consequence of cronyism. The suggestion of blackmail is also something that we, as supporters of the marbles return, should be keenly sensitive to. Personally, I'm interested to find out if blackmail was going on. If so, are the insinuations in the article true? Have other unknown and potentially equally important artifacts been comprimised for the benefit of a few greedy developers?
It would shatter our argument for returning the marbles.

Gregoris, Dallas, Texas,

As a british educated person and having lived in the UK for many years I admire and repsect this country for the opportunities it gives to foreigners. However the question of Elgin Marbles has a strong moral ground and a solution should be found. Maybe a middle solution would be good for a start.

example: Contruction of Copies and rotation of copies and originals to the two museums.
Good for a start!

antonios kalyvas, iraklion, Greece

The only valid question should be, "Was she worth it?"

Bill Drew, Redmond, Ohio USA

Sir,

You are absolutely right when you questions the moral high ground of the particular former Greek beaurocrat. However, you would appear less hypocritical if you had supplied a good explanation why your country is holding on to stolen propertty for more or less two centuries. As for government scantals you made me laugh as I said to myself: Look who is talking. Do you remember Kristen Keller?

Dr. Tom Papadopoulos
Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Tom Papadopoulos, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

If a trustee of the British Museum had been caught in a compromising position or was tainted with a corruption scandal would it follow that the museum's position on retention of the Parthenon Sculptures would similarly be compromised? I don't think so. The campaign for reunification of the sculptures in the New Acropolis Museum rise above any one individual - whether it be Neil MacGregor or James Purnell or their Greek counterparts - and is only really concerned with reuniting the known surviving sculptures within sight of, and in the context of, the Parthenon and the Acropolis. The "sex, lies and DVDs" scandal in Greece is a convenient distraction for the British Museum, but rest assured that the clamour for return will become fiercer than before.

George Vardas, Sydney, Australia

It's understandable that the British would immediately associate *any* story about the greek Culture Ministry with the decade-long demand for the Parthenon Marble return.

However, it makes no sense to assume any moral highground for their coming home to the new Acropolis Museum is lost, if one chief of staff is involved in a sex scandal.

Extramarital affairs have been around at least since the ancient Greeks and UK officials are no strangers to them either. This really is a cheap shot. Hopefully this means all sensibler-sounding arguments have been discussed and used up, and the marbles will return soon.

Isabella Eisenach, Corfu, Greece

The Elgin Marbles should be returned to their home! It's that simple!

Kostas, New Jersey, United States

There was nothing than a typical sex scandal that could hustle this leading government that is doing an excellent job, and has been voted for with a significant difference from the corrupt socialists in September.

Theodore, hove, Sussex

As an Brit expat living in Athens I've been following the story closely but don't see how it should affect the return on loan of the Elgin Marbles to the new Acropolis museum. I'm afraid you've taken a rather local approach to a major political issue which is why prime minister Karamanlis put so much power in the hands of an unelected politician? We now know that the attempted suicide was an acquaintance of the prime minister's wife - nothing salacious in that fact - which may have contributed to this fatal appointment. Furthermore, all the subsequent appointments to the committee which takes critical archaeological decisions came from the prime minister's own party. If this scandal finally gets the political establishment to identify which jobs are for the boys, ie political appointments, and which are not, then progress will have been made. Meanwhile, if I were a European commissioner who had disbursed funds to the Greek ministry of culture, I would be a little uneasy this evening.

Dr David Green, Athens, Greece

The return of Elgin Marbles to their original site has nothing to do with the aforementioned scandal in the Greek Culture Ministry. Elgin Marbles should return to Athens as soon as possible because they were stolen from our country during foreign occupation.

THANOS, ATHENS,

I fail to comprehend how the fact that Mr Zachopoulos had an extramarital affair destroys the moral high ground of an entire nation's request for the Elgin Marbles return. Without getting into a discussion of whether an extramarital affair is ethically wrong or not, the corruption and lack of integrity of an official, no matter how high ranking, cannot be simplistically projected on the entire Greek Ministry of Culture. In the future, the British Museum and media should strive to find more convincing counterarguments to the Elgin Marbles return.

Ilias Demagos, Paris, France