It has been revealed that Dr Dirk Obbink, a former Classics professor at the University of Oxford, was awarded a £434,000 loan by Christ Church college prior to his arrest in March.
Obbink, who has been accused of stealing parts of ancient papyrus manuscripts kept in the Sackler Library, was offered the loan around one year after his integrity was questioned surrounding the papyrus fragments.
The fragments are believed to have been sold to the American bible museum by an arts-and-crafts company. While Obbink has been suspended by the university, Christ Church, who act independently, have retained him as a full member of its governing body.
The college’s annual reports from both 2017 and 2018, reveal that Obbink and the body entered into an “equity-sharing arrangement” to the sum of £434,000, in order to allow him to purchase property. While these offers are not out of place in the Oxford collegiate system, they are intended to allow younger academics to purchase their first residence in the city. The sum offered to Obbink eclipsed the nearest equity share of £310,000.
At the time the deal was made, Obbink already resided in rooms in Tom Quad, and had a property in an Oxford suburb. He was also head of a business group that bought a castle in Texas in 2014 and was sold on last year.
Obbink denies all allegations and says he would not have betrayed the “trust of my colleagues and the values which I have sought to protect and uphold throughout my academic career”.
The college’s official statement read: “Christ Church’s finances and spending are properly managed, scrutinised and overseen by its finance committee and governing body, in accordance with its statutes, the law and guidance laid down by the Charity Commission. Christ Church’s accounts are examined and signed off each year by independent auditors.”
