Paul Watson, a Canadian conservationist and leader of the organization Sea Shepherd, no longer has any pending issues with the Costa Rican justice, according to representatives of the group in Costa Rica and one of his lawyers in the country.
The case concluded due to the end of the term of the statute of limitations of the crime and a rejection of the appeals court to an approach of the Public Ministry. His lawyers also insist that the events of 2002 occurred in Guatemalan waters, so the Costa Rican courts have no jurisdiction.
In 2016, the Criminal Court of San José rejected an economic conciliation that Watson had agreed with nine fishermen to put an end to a criminal investigation for alleged shipwreck crimes.
The measure was based on the fact that the Canadian -according to the judges- was considered a rebel prisoner, with an international arrest warrant that had to come to the country to face the process.
In 2012, Watson was captured in Frankfurt, Germany and immediately began the process to extradite him to Costa Rica. But the events actually date back to 2002, when the Canadian and his team had a run-in in Guatemalan waters against the Costa Rican fishing crew that was traveling on the vessel ‘Varadero I’.