During the restoration of a building in Saint-Gilles-lez-Termonde, in Belgium’s East Flanders region, workers discovered a substantial quantity of gold hidden inside a wall.
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The discovery was made on Monday, August 10, while pipes were being installed in the building’s basement. Workers found a concealed box in the wall containing pieces of gold, coins and numbered gold bars.
Belgian media outlet HLN reported that, based on preliminary estimates, the gold could be worth around €9 million in total.
Geert Hillaert, a representative of CAW East Flanders, the social welfare organization that owns the building, said the remarkable discovery was made while workers were installing the pipes.
The building is undergoing a complete renovation aimed at adapting it to accommodate new studios and offices.
Immediately after the treasure was found, the contractor notified the building’s owner and then the police, following the procedures established for such cases. Patrick Face, the head of the local police, confirmed that a large quantity of gold had been discovered inside the property.
Belgian authorities must now determine the treasure’s origin, who it belongs to and how the gold came to be hidden in the wall.
The first phase of the investigation will examine whether the gold is linked to any criminal activity committed in the past. If that possibility is ruled out, the authorities will seek to find the rightful owner or their heirs.
According to Hillaert, verifying the gold’s origin and ownership could extend the process for several years.
If the treasure is found to have no connection to criminal activity and the legal owner cannot be identified, the authorities will have to decide who is entitled to the gold, which is worth millions of euros.
So far, neither CAW East Flanders, which owns the building, nor the company and workers who found the gold know whether they are entitled to a share of its value or a reward for the discovery.
The treasure has meanwhile been handed over to the relevant authority in Brussels and is being kept under tight security. Investigations are continuing to clarify the gold’s history and identify its owner.
