PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2023) Russia hopes that the Supreme Court of the Netherlands will objectively study the case of the "Scythian gold" and overturn the lower court's ruling, Alexander Shulgin, the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, told Sputnik on Friday.
On January 27, the Dutch Prosecutor General's office said that the Amsterdam Court of Appeal's decision on the transfer of "Scythian gold" to Ukraine may remain in force. The verdict of the Dutch Supreme Court is tentatively scheduled for September 15, 2023.
"As for the Prosecutor General's conclusion, it is not binding on the judges. There is still hope - although, of course, a rather weak one - that the Supreme Court of the Kingdom will be able to study the issue objectively and impartially, and overturn the lower court's decision," Shulgin said.
He noted that the Court of Appeal's decision on the "Scythian gold" is purely political.
Moreover, Dutch lawyers are afraid to cooperate with Crimean museums due to the European Union's sanctions, Shulgin said.
"We can assume that the positions of the Crimean museums, which are a party to the process, deteriorated significantly last year due to difficulties in finding lawyers capable and willing to represent their interests in court. Dutch lawyers (and their participation in such proceedings is mandatory) ... are afraid to cooperate with Russian legal entities and individuals due to EU sanctions," the diplomat said.
This circumstance makes it possible to talk about a violation of the principle of equality of arms and the proper administration of justice, he added.
On October 26, 2021, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled that the collection must be transferred to Ukraine. Crimean museums sent a cassation appeal against this decision to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.
A collection of Scythian gold from four Crimean museums, consisting of about 2,000 artifacts, was sent for an exhibition at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in early February 2014. After the peninsula's reunification with Russia in March, the Dutch museum decided against sending the artifacts to either Ukraine or Crimea, pending a decision by a competent judge or an agreement between the parties.
