Builders unearth €9m gold loot sealed in walls of Belgian property
Construction workers found the stash in the walls of a cellar while drilling to lay sewage pipes.
Builders renovating a Belgian property unearthed a €9 million gold hoard sealed within its cellar walls, images of which were shared by local police.
The construction crew, including an 18-year-old summer worker named Kobe, stumbled upon the hidden cache of gold bars and coins earlier this week while drilling to install new sewage pipes in the East Flanders property, according to local media reports.
Kobe recounted his initial disbelief to Belgian public broadcaster VRT, stating, "Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement. At first I thought they were €1 coins. But then we also saw a gold nugget lying there. That's when we realised it was something bigger."
The site manager, Mario, explained to VRT that keeping the discovery was not an option due to the sheer volume of gold and the fact that it would constitute theft. Kobe concurred, noting, "€9m – you simply can't keep that hidden."
The discovery has sparked interest in who will ultimately claim the treasure, with both the builders and the local charity that owns the property having potential claims. The property is currently owned by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a welfare support organization in Dendermonde, a Flemish community of approximately 47,000 residents.
Geert Hillaert, the charity's director, expressed his "surprise and amazement" and voiced hope that the gold could eventually fund the charity's work and address the "enormous need we experience daily."
Local police have launched an investigation and moved the gold to a secure location. They cautioned the public against visiting the active construction site in search of more treasure, stating that the area had been "turned upside down." The police force, which updated its Facebook profile picture to an image of a gold coin, expressed hope that the discovery would end up in "the right place" and positively impact lives.
Under Belgian law, the rightful owner has five years to claim the hoard. The local prosecutor, who initiated the investigation, stated that the owner's identity is currently unknown. If no owner comes forward, civil law dictates that hidden treasure found on another's property is to be divided between the finder and the property owner. This division is contingent on the loot not being linked to criminal activity.
Both the builders and the charity now face a waiting period of up to 1,823 days for an owner to emerge. If no successful claim is made, the silence surrounding the gold will indeed prove to be golden.