A routine sewer excavation beneath a former Belgian brewery has turned into a multimillion-euro ownership dispute, pitting the excitement of an extraordinary find against the slow machinery of Belgian law.

The discovery was made by 18-year-old construction worker Kobe and his colleagues at the former brewery site in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, north-west of Brussels. The hoard—gold coins, nuggets and numbered bullion bars—was hidden in a bag inside a bricked-in cellar wall beneath the villa once owned by brewer Theophilus Van Assche. The estimated value is reported at about €9 million, or roughly $10 million.

For the workers, the find initially looked far less significant. “At first I thought it was €1 coins,” Kobe said, before the group uncovered a gold bar. He later described the discovery as “not something you expect when you’re working on a regular Tuesday morning.”¹

Their response contrasts with the competing interests now surrounding the treasure. The workers immediately contacted police and the redevelopment organization, CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, rather than attempting to keep it. CAW official Geert Hillaert said the building was being “completely gutted,” leaving only its walls as the property is converted into offices and housing.¹

Authorities have secured the hoard in Brussels while investigating whether it was stolen or linked to criminal activity. The prosecutor’s office expects a potentially complex civil dispute involving the contractors, CAW and descendants of the Van Assche family. A former mayor, Piet Buyse, believes the family connection is plausible, saying the fortune had “certainly stayed in the family” and may have been deliberately converted into gold and hidden.¹

Belgian law requires finders to wait at least five years for an owner to come forward. Kobe’s hope for “some kind of finder’s reward eventually”¹ captures the central tension: the workers made the discovery, but possession alone may not determine who ultimately benefits.