An unexpected discovery, estimated to be worth around 9 million euros, was made by workers during restoration work on a building in Saint-Gilles-lez-Termonde, in East Flanders, Belgium.
Le Parisien reports that workers were in the basement of the building installing pipes when they discovered a box hidden in a wall. When they opened it, they found that it contained a large amount of gold - gold nuggets, coins and bars with numbers on them.
According to an initial estimate cited by Belgian media, the total value of the find could reach 9 million euros.
The building is owned by a charity. It was undergoing a complete renovation to create studios and offices. As soon as the “treasure” was found, the contractor immediately notified the owner and then the police. This is part of the protocol that is followed in such cases.
Local police chief Patrick Face confirmed that a significant amount of gold was indeed found in the building. Authorities now have a difficult task ahead of them: determining who the gold belongs to and how it ended up hidden inside the wall.
The first step is to investigate whether the treasure is linked to past criminal activity. If such a possibility is ruled out, an attempt will be made to identify the legal owners or their heirs. According to Hillaert, this process could take several years.
At the same time, if it is proven that the gold is not the product of criminal activity and its legal owner is not found, the question will arise as to who is entitled to the treasure worth millions.
Currently, neither the owner of the building nor the company whose workers made the discovery know whether they can claim a share of the value of the gold or any reward for its discovery. Until answers are given, the treasure has been handed over to a competent authority in Brussels, where it is being held under strict security measures. ©LAPSI.al
