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The treasures from the 'Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes' will be returned to Spain

Minister for Education, Culture and Sport expresses satisfaction after ruling by US Supreme Court on the Odyssey Case

01 February 2012

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Congreso de los Diputados

The Supreme Court of the United States has rejected the appeal filed by the company Odyssey requesting a suspension of the ruling passed by the Atlanta Court of Appeals in November last year.

That ruling recognised the rights of the Spanish State over the entire cargo contained within the shipwreck of the vessel 'Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes'.

Following the decision from the US Supreme Court, the recovery of all the coins and other objects illegally removed from the shipwreck can now begin. The process for enforcing the decision to recover the cargo will begin within a period of ten days from when the Supreme Court ruling (made public on Tuesday) is received by the Tampa Court of First Instance, which must order the immediate return of the treasure.

The ruling is a cause of great satisfaction for the Government of Spain. The Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, José Ignacio Wert, said that "this decision draws a line under an extremely long legal battle that the Spanish State undertook in 2007 and that now returns a treasure of incalculable historical value to the Spanish people".

Relocation and conservation

EFE

Since the start of the process, the objects and coins from the shipwreck of the vessel 'Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes' have been held in legal custody at a warehouse in Florida. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport has been able to examine the integrity and good state of conservation by means of regular inspections by a technical committee appointed to ensure the suitability of the location where the treasure is being kept.

According to statements made by José Ignacio Wert on Wednesday, a priority for the relocation and conservation process is "to put all the coins and objects into the hands of specialists for their proper restoration and to avoid future damage. Following their restoration, the objects will be distributed among the various collections kept at national museums, where they will be the object of study, research and exhibition".

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport will be involved in bringing the treasure back to Spain.