10/05/2012 - Myclipp

El País/ - Sociedad, Seg, 14 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Supreme Court)
US Supreme Court signals “final victory”
for Spain in Odyssey case
Spain’s long legal battle with Odyssey Marine
Exploration over the collection of 500,000 silver and
gold coins recovered from a 19th-century Spanish ship
is finally over. The US Supreme Court on Monday
rejected a petition by the Tampa, Florida-based
shipwreck explorer to review the case, leaving intact
decisions against the firm at two lower court
jurisdictions.During their weekly conference, the
justices in Washington last Thursday studied
Odyssey’s appeal along with several others filed
against Spain, including petitions by the Republic of
Peru and some of the descendants of the passengers
of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, who said they
were the rightful owners of the coins.The top court
didn’t give any reasons as to why it wasn’t taking up
the case, only posting a succinct “denied” in the
Supreme Court docket on Monday.“All of the team is
very pleased by the decision today, which makes our
victory absolutely final,” said James Goold, the
Spanish government’s lawyer who led the US federal
court battle to get the coins and other treasure after
Odyssey plucked them up from the bottom of the
Atlantic in early 2007.“The Supreme Court rejected
three petitions claiming that the decision for Spain was
contrary to US, Spanish and international law. Spain’s
position that unauthorized looting of our underwater
cultural heritage, in the case the historic frigate
Mercedes, is illegal has been upheld at every level and
today’s decision eliminates any possibility of any
further challenge to our victory,” Goold said in an email
message.There was no immediate reaction by
Odyssey lawyers.On February 26, Spanish military
cargo planes airlifted the coins back to Madrid after the
Supreme Court refused to stop the transfer while it
was considering the appeal. The US Appeals Court in
Atlanta had already ordered Odyssey to turn over the
mostly silver currency after rejecting Odyssey’s
arguments.The Culture Ministry has said that it will put
the coins and other artifacts on display at different
museums.A Tampa judge has also ruled that Odyssey
must turn over another part of the trove that has been
stored in a warehouse in Gibraltar.The Mercedes was
sunk by the British navy off the coast of Portugal in
1804 when as it was sailing from South America
toward the port at Cádiz.
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