Monetary Gold Removed from Rome in 1943 (Italy v. France, United Kingdom and United States)
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The Monetary Gold Removed from Rome in 1943 Case (Italy v. France, United Kingdom and United States) was part of a long-running dispute over the fate of Nazi gold
that was originally seized from Rome
.
On 17 September 1943, 2,338 kg of gold were seized by the Germans
from Rome.
After the war, both Italy
and Albania
claimed that this gold was theirs, and that the Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold should return it to them.
On 17 November 1950, the commission informed their forming governments (France
, the UK and USA) that they could not resolve the issue.
On 25 April 1951, the three governments, having failed to reach an agreement, agreed to request that the International Court of Justice
appoint an independent arbitrator, who, on 20 February 1953, decided that the gold belonged to Albania.
However, the UK and Italy still laid claim to the gold: the UK as partial payment towards the (still unsettled) compensation that Albania was ordered to pay them against damage to UK navy vessels and loss of life during the Corfu Channel Incident
, caused by an undisclosed Albanian mine-field in Corfu (see the Corfu Channel Case), whilst Italy claimed that most of the gold was originally Italian, seized by the Albanian government when it took control of the National Bank of Albania (which Italy had the majority of shares in), and additionally that the Italian Peace Treaty specifically gave them claim to the gold.
On 19 May 1953, Italy requested that the ICJ determine how much of the gold Italy had claim to, and whether the UK's or the Italian's claim should take precedence, stating that the three countries responsible for the redistribution of the gold should give it all to Italy in partial compensation for the Albanian seizure of the National Bank of Albania, and that this claim should over-ride the UK's claim.
On 15 June 1953, the ICJ decided that, as the first issue to be addressed was the resolution of the legal dispute between Italy and Albania over the seizure of the National Bank of Albania, and as Albania had not deferred to the ICJ in this case, the ICJ had no jurisdiction in this matter.
Nazi gold
Nazi gold is the gold transferred by Nazi Germany to overseas banks during the Second World War. The regime executed a policy of looting the assets of its victims to finance the war, collecting the looted assets in central depositories. The occasional transfer of gold in return for currency took...
that was originally seized from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
On 17 September 1943, 2,338 kg of gold were seized by the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from Rome.
After the war, both Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
claimed that this gold was theirs, and that the Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold should return it to them.
On 17 November 1950, the commission informed their forming governments (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the UK and USA) that they could not resolve the issue.
On 25 April 1951, the three governments, having failed to reach an agreement, agreed to request that the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
appoint an independent arbitrator, who, on 20 February 1953, decided that the gold belonged to Albania.
However, the UK and Italy still laid claim to the gold: the UK as partial payment towards the (still unsettled) compensation that Albania was ordered to pay them against damage to UK navy vessels and loss of life during the Corfu Channel Incident
Corfu Channel Incident
The Corfu Channel Incident refers to three separate events involving Royal Navy ships in the Channel of Corfu which took place in 1946, and it is considered an early episode of the Cold War. During the first incident, Royal Navy ships came under fire from Albanian fortifications...
, caused by an undisclosed Albanian mine-field in Corfu (see the Corfu Channel Case), whilst Italy claimed that most of the gold was originally Italian, seized by the Albanian government when it took control of the National Bank of Albania (which Italy had the majority of shares in), and additionally that the Italian Peace Treaty specifically gave them claim to the gold.
On 19 May 1953, Italy requested that the ICJ determine how much of the gold Italy had claim to, and whether the UK's or the Italian's claim should take precedence, stating that the three countries responsible for the redistribution of the gold should give it all to Italy in partial compensation for the Albanian seizure of the National Bank of Albania, and that this claim should over-ride the UK's claim.
On 15 June 1953, the ICJ decided that, as the first issue to be addressed was the resolution of the legal dispute between Italy and Albania over the seizure of the National Bank of Albania, and as Albania had not deferred to the ICJ in this case, the ICJ had no jurisdiction in this matter.