Construction Workers Dig Up N14bn Gold Stash Hidden inside Old Walls during Renovation
- Builders working on a house in east Flanders stumbled upon gold bars and coins sealed inside the cellar walls earlier this week
- The hoard, reportedly worth €9m, was found by a crew that included an 18-year-old on a summer job who initially mistook the coins for small change
- Both the construction workers and the charity that owns the property could have a claim to the treasure under Belgian law
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A team of builders renovating a property in east Flanders, Belgium, uncovered a hoard of gold bars and coins this week that local media estimate to be worth around €9 million (approximately £7.6 million). The stash was discovered hidden inside the cellar walls while the crew drilled to install new sewage pipes beneath the building's foundations.
Among those who made the find was Kobe, an 18-year-old working a summer job on the site. He told Belgian public broadcaster VRT that the crew's initial reaction was pure disbelief.
Source: Getty Images
Builders Discover €9m Gold Hoard in Belgium
"Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement," Kobe said.
"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, confirmed the crew reported the discovery to police shortly after, dismissing any thought of keeping it, BBC reports.
"There are so many coins and bars — it would be almost impossible," he told VRT.
"Besides, that would be theft."
Kobe agreed: "€9m – you simply can't keep that hidden."
Who Could Legally Own the Treasure?
The property belongs to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a welfare organisation that serves Dendermonde, a Flemish town of roughly 47,000 residents.
The charity's director, Geert Hillaert, said he too was caught off guard by the news, but expressed hope that the treasure could ultimately support the organisation's work and address what he described as the "enormous need we experience daily."
Local police, who updated their Facebook profile picture to an image of a gold coin following the discovery, confirmed the gold has been moved to a secure location and urged members of the public not to visit the site in search of further treasure.
A local prosecutor has opened an investigation into the matter. Under Belgian law, the rightful owner has five years to come forward and claim the hoard.
Should no one successfully do so, civil law provides that hidden treasure found on another person's property be split between the finder and the property owner, though this only applies if the gold is not connected to any criminal activity.
That gives both the construction workers and CAW Oost-Vlaanderen a potential claim, though neither will know the outcome for up to 1,823 days.
UK releases student visa document checklist
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that international students who have secured admission to study in the United Kingdom have been advised to begin their student visa applications online, with the UK government outlining the documents they must submit before travelling.
The guidance, published on the UK government's official website, explains the application process for students applying from outside the UK and sets out the documents and identity checks required before a visa can be issued.
Source: Legit.ng
