Sunday, May 20, 2012

BERLIN — A German court has granted bail to Paul Watson, the founder of the radical marine conservation group Sea Shepherd, while authorities decide whether he can be extradited to Costa Rica.

Bail was set for €250,000 (¥25.18 million).

The higher regional court in Frankfurt said Friday that Costa Rica's extradition request will be considered on charges stemming from a high-seas confrontation over shark-finning in 2002.

Shark-finning is the removal of sharks' fins for profit, often accompanied by the disposal of the rest of the shark.

Watson, a Canadian whom Sea Shepherd's members have affectionately dubbed "the captain" — and who looks the part with a beard and thick shock of white hair — is accused of "putting a ship's crew in danger."

According to Sea Shepherd, the incident took place in Guatemalan waters when the group encountered an illegal shark-finning operation run by a Costa Rican ship called the Varadero.

Sea Shepherd says that while escorting the Varadero back to port, a Guatemalan gunboat was dispatched to intercept Sea Shepherd members after the Varadero's crew falsely accused the group of trying to kill them.

The court said the alleged crimes would have broken German law and had not yet passed the statute of limitations. It therefore ordered that Watson be placed in custody while awaiting the extradition decision, but this decision can only be made by the German justice ministry after several more legal steps.

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