Rudy Capildeo interviewed by Monocle 24 on a bill introduced by the Polish government limiting the restitution of property seized by the Nazis

Rudy Capildeo appeared on Monocle 24’s The Globalist to discuss the Polish Restitution Bill, which was recently approved by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda. To listen the full interview, click here (the interview begins at 51:41).

Commenting on the new law, Rudy explains:

"The Polish government have long struggled, through different governments, to deal with the issue of restitution and the giving back of property confiscated by the Nazis and then the Communists. This latest piece of legislation effectively closes the door on any claims being made by families who had hoped that one day they may get their property back, whether that be real property, art or other objects."

When asked why the Bill will close the door on future claims, Rudy replied:

"Most of the confiscations happened very shortly after or during World War II. The 30 year limit is from the date of confiscation and most of those have now been and gone. So while it may be possible to get claims off the ground and bring them to court, the courts are beholden to the laws of the land, and so the applicable law in this case will say no to the claims."

Rudy continues: "There needs to be an access to this type of justice, but it’s often convoluted and murky, there are conflicting laws and international declarations. It’s not easy for an individual to know where to start. Most claims are made towards institutions and museums, and those are usually the ones that are most successful, where objects are within a public collection. For art work, there are now well trodden paths for claimants to go down and bring claims forward."