A British court ruled this Friday that Spain cannot execute the ruling that forced the insurer of the wrecked oil tanker “Prestige” to pay up to 855 million euros for the environmental catastrophe unleashed by its sinking in 2002.
Judge Christopher Butcher, of the commercial court of the High Court, upheld the appeal of the insurer London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association Limited against the execution of a ruling of the Provincial Court of La Coruña, which found the insurer responsible for compensate the State for the toxic spill on the coast of Galicia in November 2002.
In his ruling, the judge sees that ruling as “irreconcilable” with the arbitration award in the United Kingdom that exempted the company from paying Spain.
In his opinion, recognizing that decision of the Galician court would be contrary to the principle of res judicata (“res judicata”) that governs England.