An Algerian migrant illegally in Belgium is struggling to win a €250,000 jackpot won thanks to a scratch card. The reason? Authorities have insisted he can only receive the money if he can prove his identity. But the man doesn’t have the documents. The Guardian reported the news. “My client is in an illegal situation, he has neither documents nor a bank account,” Alexander Verstraete, the 28yearold’s lawyer, told AFP on Friday. “We are looking for documents that can prove his identity. He needs to get in touch with his family in Algeria.” The lawyer said the scratch card is currently being held by a court in Bruges after three friends tried unsuccessfully to claim it on his client’s behalf.
Scratch and win, friends claim the prize
The friends, also from North Africa, were held overnight by police for theft before being released when the real winner showed up with his lawyer. The winning ticket was bought in Zeebrugge a few weeks ago. The Belgian port city is a popular destination for migrants trying to sneak into England by hiding in trucks or containers. The young Algerian’s lawyer said his client, who has no intention of applying for asylum to remain in Belgium, had received an assurance from the authorities that he would not be deported until he received the arbitration award.
The jackpot with a 5 euro ticket
The prize is a scratch card jackpot that sells for €5 and offers a ‘one in 3.69’ chance of hitting some kind of win. The retailer who sold the ticket is prohibited from paying out this prize in cash. For any prize over €100,000, the winner has to go to the company’s headquarters in Brussels, said Joke Vermoere, spokesman for the national lottery, where the winner’s three friends went. “The winner didn’t show up, we didn’t see him, which is currently blocking the awarding process,” Vermoere said. He did not specify the conditions or the type of documents needed to claim victory. “It’s in the hands of the Bruges public prosecutor’s office,” he said.
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