As reported by AFP, Justice Clarence Thomas, a US Supreme Court justice refused to grant a Florida company's request to block a lower court's order to return treasure to the Spanish government that was salvaged from a ship sunk in 1804. Odyssey Marine Exploration must return 500m treasure which recovered from the wreck of the Spanish ship "Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes." The company was trying to overturn a February 1 decision by a federal court in Atlanta that ordered the treasure returned. The lower court said the ship, which was sunk during a battle with a British fleet, remained the property of Spain.
Picture by telegraph.co.uk: hoard of treasure found
The ship was found in May 2007 at a depth of 1,700 feet (518 meters) in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal. It was returning from Peru. The hundreds of gold objects and more than 500,000 silver coins Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered are expected to be the most valuable treasure recovery in history.
The company hid the discovery under the code name of "Black Swan Project" while it removed the treasure to an undisclosed location.
The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruling said that releasing the treasure "to Odyssey rather than Spain would be inconsistent with Spain's rights under the 1902 Treaty of Friendship and General Relations between the United States of America and Spain.
"This treaty requires the United States to extend to Spanish shipwrecked vessels the same protection and immunities afforded to its own shipwrecked vessels in similar circumstances."
Odyssey Marine Exploration still can appeal for a review by the entire Supreme Court, which historically has offered a minimal chance of success after rejection by one of its own justices.
Source: AFP.
Wish this kind of action will be taken by The Department of Museums Malaysia to all National treasure thieves. People had been exploring Malaysian water and land for treasure, without any action for a very long time. Some of them has became instant silent millionaire. We have the law but we cannot see any enforcement, as always has been in Malaysia. Some people really like to brag about their stolen find. Good luck to them.
