That 2006 article is talking about the El Salvador, the wreck that was the subject of the first big hype for DPBM.
That one went away for a few reasons, and Spain would've claimed the wreck even if DB had found it and started to salvage.
I thought you were quoting him about the Scipion's manifest. The company implied (IIRC) that the researcher had found information indicating the presence of a large payroll on board. Figures ranging from $300 million to $500 million were written about.
If they ever claimed in print that they had the Scipion's manifest, that's the one they should be made to produce.