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A routine renovation in Belgium has turned into a legal ownership dispute after builders found gold hidden behind a cellar wall. The hoard, valued at about €9 million, includes gold bars, coins and nuggets.
Workers uncovered the gold while installing sewage pipes at a property in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, East Flanders. Police have secured the treasure while prosecutors investigate its source and legal owner.
The builders discovered the gold while removing part of the building’s foundation. A bag containing coins and numbered gold bars had been sealed inside a cellar wall.
Kobe, an 18-year-old student working a summer job, initially mistook the coins for ordinary euros. The team soon found a gold bar and realised the scale of the discovery.
“At first I thought it was €1 coins,” Kobe said. “Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought.”
Site manager Mario said his team continued finding coins and bars as workers opened the concealed section. He contacted police instead of removing the gold from the property.
“There are so many coins and bars, it would be almost impossible,” Mario said. “Besides, that would be theft.”
The property once housed a brewery linked to Theophilus Van Assche. Brewing began at the site in 1899 and ended in 1970. The gold reportedly lay beneath the former brewery owner’s villa. VRT reported that prosecutors are examining how it arrived there.
CAW Oost-Vlaanderen currently owns the property. The welfare charity is renovating the listed building to create offices and housing for its services.
Director Geert Hillaert described the discovery as a surprise. He said the charity hopes the money could eventually support people who use its welfare programmes.
That outcome remains uncertain. Authorities must establish the gold’s history before any person or organisation can claim a share.
The East Flanders prosecutor’s office is checking whether the hoard includes stolen property or money connected with criminal activity. Investigators may also examine records linked to previous property owners.
Police moved the gold to a secure location in Brussels. Officers also searched the renovation site after news of the discovery attracted public attention.
Local police warned people against entering the property to search for more gold. The building remains an active worksite and parts are undergoing demolition. Authorities said they had already searched the area thoroughly.
Belgian law gives the original owner an opportunity to reclaim found property. The five-year period begins after officials record the discovery in a municipal register.
A claimant would need to prove legal ownership of the gold. The original owner must also cover reasonable storage, preservation and search costs.
If authorities establish that the hidden property has no owner, Article 3.59 of Belgium’s Civil Code may determine its division. The rule applies when someone lawfully and accidentally finds hidden property belonging to nobody.
In that case, the finder can receive half of the property. The owner of the building or land where workers found it receives the other half. Belgian law also requires the finder to follow reporting duties.
The builders and CAW Oost-Vlaanderen therefore cannot claim the gold immediately. Prosecutors must first establish its source, ownership history and any possible link to a crime.
