A 28-year-old Algerian in an illegal situation has been fighting for several days with the Belgian National Lottery to recover the 250,000 euros he won in a scratch card game. ” My client […] doesn’t have any papers and doesn’t have a bank account either”explained, Friday, April 15, his lawyer, Alexander Verstraete, “We are looking for these documents that will prove his identity, he will have to contact his family in Algeria”.
The winning ticket is currently in the hands of justice, in Bruges (north). Three of the player’s friends had tried unsuccessfully to recover the money for him, which led to them being suspected of theft and spending a night in police custody last week, Ms.and Verstraete. The Bruges public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to find the lucky winner. He was able to clear his friends by presenting himself to the police with his lawyer, but he must now prove himself his good faith.
The winning ticket was purchased a few weeks ago in Zeebrugge, a Belgian port city which is a popular destination for migrants trying to reach England illegally hidden in trucks or containers.
“In the hands of the prosecution”
According to Mand Verstraete, his client, who does not intend to apply for asylum to stay in Belgium (he does not come from a country at war), obtained from the Belgian authorities the promise not to be deported to the border before receiving his prize.
This gain constitutes the “jackpot” of a scratch ticket from the “Cash” range sold for 5 euros and which offers “one in 3.69 chance” to recover his bet, according to the site of the National Lottery. The merchant who sold the ticket is prohibited from handing over any such cash prize. For everything ” batch “ greater than 100,000 euros, the point of sale of the ticket systematically sends the winner back to the company’s headquarters in Brussels, explained Joke Vermoere, spokesperson for the National Lottery.
This is where the winner’s three friends went, one of whom claimed to be able to collect the money from his bank account. “The winner did not come to us, we did not see him, which is currently blocking the procedure for handing over the prize”argued Joke Vermoere, without specifying the conditions or the nature of the documents required: “It is in the hands of the Bruges prosecutor’s office. »