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Oslo (dpa) - Two of the six men charged in connection with the theft of two still-missing masterpieces by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch were ordered released from remand Wednesday, pending sentencing next month.
The Supreme Court ruled that the men no longer risked destroying evidence or possibly intimidating witnesses in the case, local media reported.
One of the two men released was alleged mastermind, Bjorn Hoen, 37, who faces 11 years.
The other was Stian Skjold, 30, who faces an eight-year sentence.
The prosecution claimed Skjold was one of the men present in the Munch Museum during the August 2004 raid when two armed men ripped the paintings "Madonna" and a version of "The Scream" off the museum walls and fled in a stolen car.
"He enjoys his freedom after being in custody so long," Skjold's defence attorney Anja-Karin Helander told the online edition of the Verdens Gang newspaper.
Skjold has been detained since June 2005.
In his closing arguments last month, prosecutor Terje Nyboe called for prison sentences of between three and 11 years, and damages of some 750 million kroner (110 million dollars).
All six men in the case have pleaded innocent. A ruling is expected May 2.
A third man in the case remands in custody over a different crime, while the remaining three were not held.
Munch, who lived from 1863 to 1944, is considered one of Europe's most important expressionist artists.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
