Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes has been selected by Colombia’s National Agency for Legal Defense of the State (ANDJE) (Agencia Nacional de Defensa Jurídica del Estado) to represent Colombia in the high-profile investment arbitration initiated by Sea Search Armada LLC in relation to the sunken 18th-century Galleon San José. The team will be led by the firm’s founding partners, Yas Banifatemi and Ximena Herrera. The pair and their team recently secured a landmark victory for Colombia in the Angel Seda et al. v. Colombia case, in which the arbitral tribunal upheld Colombia’s right to invoke, in relation to the country’s fight against narcotraffic, the essential security interest clause contained in the applicable Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the USA.

Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes looks forward to working with the full team at the ANDJE in this case, which marks a significant step in safeguarding Colombia’s cultural heritage.

Colombia will also be assisted by José Antonio Rivas, from the firm Xtrategy LLP.

Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes is committed to providing representation of the highest caliber. The firm has been consistently praised by its clients for its “excellent strategic approach”, “great professionalism” and unwavering “commitment to its clients”.