Sapphires, emeralds, rubies and even a diamond: this is the discovery made by a construction worker in Saint-Tropez (Var). Engaged in the work team which must transform the former presbytery of the commune into luxury trade, this man persisted in breaking with his pickaxe an old chimney when he fell, last month, on several metal boxes , as the daily Var Matin revealed.
The boxes were buried at the bottom of the chimney and, opening the lid, the worker fell backwards. Each of them contained precious stones, sixty in total. The worker, quite proud of his find, showed his treasure to several people before taking everything to the nearest gendarmerie.
One of the jewels missing
A jewelry expert was asked to estimate the whole. Problem: when moving, one of the precious stones disappeared! An investigation was therefore opened by the Draguignan public prosecutor's office, which seeks to establish to whom the booty belongs: to the worker who made the divine discovery? At the bishopric, former owner of the premises? Or the new one, Patric Huon, a Belgian property developer who bought the walls for 8 million euros!
Legally, whoever discovers a treasure is entitled to 50% of the property, if he has correctly declared the discovery. The remaining 50% goes to the legitimate owner of the place. Still, the two need to get along… In rue Gambetta, where the work continues, we can't get over it: “It was an old building, very damaged but very well placed. How to suspect that it contained a small fortune? Says a retiree. The bishopric indicates that he knew nothing about this “hiding place”: “The priest had lived there for years, but never used the chimney, which was far too old. But well stocked.