http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200709250208.html
09/25/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
OWARI-ASAHI, Aichi Prefecture--The rightful owner of 50 million yen ($435,958) unearthed here during excavation work has not come forward, giving a construction worker a tidy profit and perhaps ending a headache for a real estate company.
At midnight Sunday, ownership of the money was transferred to the 43-year-old construction worker who found the cash and the owner of the land where it was found, police said.
The landowner runs a real estate company in Saitama.
The 50 million yen is expected to be divided equally between the two men, police said.
Under the law on lost-and-found articles, police keep lost goods, including money, for six months and 14 days after they are found.
The construction worker found a plastic case containing 50 bundles of 100 10,000-yen bills on March 10 when he was using an excavator to clear the area for the construction of houses.
According to land registration documents, the plot was owned by an unemployed man in his 70s in Owari-Asahi until 1997.
A man involved in the financial industry in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, bought the land at an auction. It was later sold and eventually bought by the real estate company in Saitama.
After the money was found, police received about six inquiries, including ones from the first owner and a relative of the second owner. But police said no one claimed ownership for the money.
A spokesman for the real estate company in Saitama said that although the president's share of the loot may end up with the company, the free cash has caused more problems than benefits.
"We have been inconvenienced because we have been unable to sell the land for houses due to all the fuss (over the mystery money)," the spokesman said.(IHT/Asahi: September 25,2007)
The news item forgot to mention a tiny detail, in that the cash was stained with the blood of 700 geishas.
If I found that money I'd start a fire and tell everyone to get out. I would then grab the nearest bag, quickly confiscate the money and leave before anyone gets suspicious.
>>3
And get arrested for arson?
it might be mine