Spanish lottery winning ticket worth nearly £4m
still unclaimed
Hunt is on
in La Coruña for lucky winner after good samaritan finds mislaid ticket and
hands it in
The Guardian
In La
Coruña, northern Spain, a tiny scrap of paper has
got everyone talking. On it are the winning numbers of last year's lottery,
worth €4.7m (£3.95m). Nothing is known about its owner except that he or she
has no idea they are now extremely rich .
According
to the Galician newspaper La Voz, someone bought the ticket carrying the winning numbers 10,
17, 24, 37, 40 and 43 last year in a Carrefour shopping centre in Galicia but
failed to keep it safe. So
when the numbers were drawn in June 2012, the prize went unclaimed.
The
mislaid ticket was found on the counter of a different lottery shop, suggesting
the winner likes to play the numbers in multiple locations. Rather than try to
claim it, the good samaritan who found it, Manuel Reija González, informed
lottery administrators, and so began the long process of confirming its
veracity.
Now
the hunt has begun to find the lucky ticket buyer. Whatever happens, there will
be a happy ending of sorts, because if the owner doesnt show up within two
years, the prize will go to Reija González, rewarding his honesty. There is just
one strange detail – Reija González's brother works for the lottery, as did his
father and grandfather.
The
mayor of La Coruña, Carlos Negreira, said on Monday: "For the first time
we're looking for a millionaire, not because we want money from them, but
because we want to give it to them."
The
town hall has provided some information about who they are seeking, but it
won't be easy to fool them. They have kept back some important details to make
sure the right person claims their winnings, including the exact time the
ticket was bought. Perhaps the numbers are the ones the winner always uses, or
match their birthday, or some other significant date. According to the law,
"the prize can only be paid out if sufficient information is provided that
proves without doubt that the claimant is the rightful" winner. One man
has already tried to claim the prize, but has been rejected.
In a
country hit hard by recession, with unemployment above 27%, the news has made
the headlines on the main national TV shows.
It is
not the first time a winning lottery ticket has caused such commotion. In 2001
a British
couple lost out on a £3m payout after mislaying their ticket, despite
convincing Camelot that they were the rightful winners.