Approximately 300 years ago the San José galleon was sunk off the coast of Columbia while carrying gold, silver and emeralds valued at up to $17 billion. The Colombian government has recently announced plans to salvage the legendary treasure, but was blocked by a lawsuit.
The lawsuit was revealed by the Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, on Monday during a televised event where he was expected to announce the name of the private company that would help the government make the recovery. Instead Santos explained that the treasure would have to wait since a local court had challenged the “public-private partnership.”
The proposed contract would have had private companies bid for the opportunity to recover the treasure and build a museum for it in exchange for 50% of what is recovered, not including unique artwork and historically significant pieces.
The suit which was brought by an anonymous group stated that, “History will not forgive us if new and sophisticated conquistadors, known by the [United Nations] as treasure hunters… once again loot the galleon like it was prey.”
The lawsuit argues that all of the treasure, as well as the ship itself, should belong to Colombia.
While the British Armada sank the San José in 1708, the legal battles surrounding the San José began in 2015 when the ship was discovered.
