No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveSpanish court acquits Tico accused of smuggling pre-Columbian art

Spanish court acquits Tico accused of smuggling pre-Columbian art

A criminal court in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, acquitted Costa Rican Leonardo Augusto Patterson, 70, for the crime of art smuggling, after he moved from that city 1,400 pieces of pre-Hispanic art to Germany in 2008 without a permit from the Culture Ministry, the Spanish daily El País reported Tuesday.

The prosecution had requested a conviction of two years in prison and the payment of a €28 million ($38.2 million) fine.

But Judge María Elena Fernández Currás said that according to Spanish law, “the smuggling offense punishes those who, without authorization, take Spanish heritage out of Spanish territory.” Patterson was acquitted because the pieces do not belong to Spain but to various Latin American countries.

The objects known as the “Patterson Collection” were exhibited with great success in Santiago between 1996-1997 in exhibitions visited by regional leaders including Costa Rica’s ex-President Óscar Arias and Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú, El País stated.

Since then the collection had been kept in a warehouse in Spain until 2008, when Patterson ordered the collection transferred to Munich, the German city where he lives.

Judge Fernández’s ruling, however, corroborated the evidence of “illegal trafficking of cultural goods from pre-Hispanic origin,” which, under international agreements, could lead to the return of the pieces to their respective countries of origin.

Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and other countries in the region have already initiated legal actions to claim pieces of the collection.

Patterson served as adviser of Costa Rica’s diplomatic mission at the United Nations from November 1994 to January 1995, during José María Figueres Olsen’s administration, and his diplomatic credentials were renewed in 1998 during Miguel Ángel Rodríguez’s administration, in spite of not being appointed to any official post.

A report from Stanford University states that he began trading pre-Columbian art in New York in 1960.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Cutris Mining Bill Threatens Massive Environmental Damage

Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The...

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Honduras Seizes $2 Million, Gold-Plated Pistols in Drug Raid

Honduran authorities struck a blow against drug cartels, seizing over $2 million in cash, war rifles, and flashy gold-plated pistols in Copán, a northwest...

Costa Rica Hunts for Nicaraguan Hit Squad After Exile’s Assassination

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investigating whether a hit squad tied to Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime is targeting exiled critics on its soil....

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica