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Catalonia Demands €791,000 From Aragón Over Sijena Artworks Returned in 2017

The move signals a likely court clash over who pays for purchases later annulled.

Overview

  • Catalonia’s government, which sent an extrajudicial claim Friday, seeks €791,000 from Aragón linked to 56 Sijena pieces that courts ordered back in 2017.
  • The bill includes €420,317 for the 1983 and 1992 purchase prices updated for inflation plus €370,802 for custody and conservation while the works were held at the MNAC and the Lleida diocesan museum.
  • Aragón rejects paying, arguing it was not a party to the sales and received no price, with Vice President Mar Vaquero dismissing the demand and legal services now reviewing it.
  • The Catalan side cites Civil Code rules on reciprocal restitution after null contracts and points to Supreme Court findings that the items formed part of Sijena’s protected treasure since 1923.
  • The claim sets a 30‑day window to try to negotiate before going back to court, which could revive a long dispute that culminated in a Guardia Civil‑supervised transfer in 2017.