A
18-yea -old
Belgia
stude t
wo ki g
a
summe
co st uctio
job
made
a
ext ao di a y
discove y
while
helpi g
excavate
a
sewe
at
a
fo me
b ewe y
site
i
Si t-Gillis-De de mo de,
about
30km
o th-west
of
B ussels.
What
i itially
looked
like
o di a y
€1
coi s
tu ed
out
to
be
pa t
of
a
hidde
gold
hoa d
estimated
at
a ou d
€9
millio .
The
stash
i cluded
gold
ba s,
coi s
a d
uggets
that
had
bee
co cealed
i
a
bag
behi d
a
b icked-up
sectio
of
a
cella
wall
be eath
a
histo ic
villa.
The
stude t,
ide tified
o ly
as
Kobe,
a d
his
colleagues
immediately
ale ted
police
a d
the
o ga isatio
ove seei g
the
e ovatio .
The
t easu e
has
si ce
bee
secu ed
while
autho ities
i vestigate
its
o igi
a d
dete mi e
who
legally
ow s
the
fo tu e.
Stude t
thought
he
had
fou d
€1
coi s
while
diggi g
Kobe
was
wo ki g
with
othe
co st uctio
wo ke s
o
the
site
whe
they
oticed
somethi g
bu ied
while
ca yi g
out
g ou dwo ks
fo
a
ew
sewe
system.
He
i itially
believed
the
objects
we e
€1
coi s,
but
the
discove y
of
a
gold
ba
quickly
evealed
that
they
had
u cove ed
somethi g
much
mo e
valuable.
Kobe
told
Belgia
media
that
the
g oup
had
bee
su p ised
by
the
discove y
because
it
was
simply
a
o mal
wo ki g
day.
Site
ma age
Ma io,
who
has
spe t
33
yea s
i
co st uctio ,
also
said
it
was
the
fi st
time
he
had
e cou te ed
a ythi g
like
it.
Gold
ba s
a d
thousa ds
of
coi s
we e
hidde
behi d
a
wall
The
hoa d
was
co cealed
i side
a
bag
i
a
b icked-i
sectio
of
a
cella
be eath
a
g a d
villa
that
had
o igi ally
bee
built
fo
b ewe y
ow e
Theophilus
Va
Assche.
Repo ts
desc ibe
the
discove y
as
i cludi g
umbe ed
gold
bullio
ba s,
coi s
a d
uggets,
with
police
photog aphs
showi g
doze s
of
gold
ba s
a d
a
la ge
qua tity
of
coi s.
O e
police-based
epo t
put
the
umbe
of
ba s
at
49,
while
a othe
desc ibed
the
haul
as
co tai i g
at
least
40
ba s
a d
a ou d
4,000
coi s.
The
exact
fi al
i ve to y
a d
valuatio
emai
subject
to
the
autho ities’
i vestigatio ,
but
the
ove all
hoa d
has
bee
estimated
at
app oximately
€9
millio .
The
t easu e
was
hidde
at
a
fo me
b ewe y
The
discove y
was
made
at
a
histo ic
p ope ty
o
Va
La ge hovest aat
i
Si t-Gillis-De de mo de.
B ewi g
at
the
site
bega
i
1899
a d
e ded
i
1970.
The
p ope ty,
k ow
as
the
B ouwe shuis,
is
ow
u de goi g
majo
e ovatio
by
CAW
Oost-Vlaa de e ,
a
social
welfa e
o ga isatio
that
pla s
to
c eate
offices
a d
housi g
at
the
site.
Wo ke s
we e
ca yi g
out
d ai age
a d
sewe – elated
co st uctio
as
the
old
buildi g
was
bei g
exte sively
e ovated.
The
t easu e
appea ed
to
have
bee
delibe ately
co cealed
behi d
the
cella
wall
athe
tha
placed
i side
a
co ve tio al
safe.
Autho ities
a e
i vestigati g
who
ow s
the
€9
millio
hoa d
The
gold
has
bee
emoved
f om
the
co st uctio
site
a d
placed
i
secu e
sto age
while
autho ities
i vestigate
its
o igi
a d
legal
ow e ship.
East
Fla de s
public
p osecuto
Ha e
Ollevie
said
autho ities
fi st
eed
to
establish
whethe
the
bullio
could
have
bee
stole
o
co ected
to
c imi al
activity.
Pote tial
claims
could
i volve
desce da ts
of
the
Va
Assche
family,
the
o ga isatio
ove seei g
the
p ope ty
a d
the
people
i volved
i
the
co st uctio
wo k.
A
fo me
De de mo de
mayo ,
Piet
Buyse,
suggested
that
the
Va
Assche
family’s
wealth
could
be
co ected
to
the
discove y,
but
that
emai s
speculatio
a d
has
ot
bee
established
by
i vestigato s.
The
stude t
could
eve tually
eceive
a
ewa d
Kobe
a d
his
colleagues
ha ded
the
t easu e
ove
athe
tha
attempti g
to
keep
it,
a d
Kobe
said
they
u de stood
that
such
a
la ge
discove y
had
to
be
epo ted.
The
legal
ow e ship
p ocess
could
take
yea s.
U de
Belgia
ules
gove i g
fou d
p ope ty,
pote tial
ow e s
have
a
pe iod
to
come
fo wa d,
a d
the
eve tual
ights
of
the
fi de
a d
p ope ty
ow e
depe d
o
the
ci cumsta ces
a d
the
legal
classificatio
of
the
t easu e.
Kobe
said
he
hoped
the
wo ke s
might
eve tually
eceive
some
ki d
of
fi de ‘s
ewa d.
Fo
ow,
howeve ,
the
€9
millio
hoa d
emai s
i
secu e
custody
while
autho ities
wo k
to
establish
whe e
it
came
f om
a d
who
is
legally
e titled
to
it.