"Is it possible to legalize such money if it can be partially proven that it was found? What official way can be used to legalize these funds if the owner who lost the money cannot be found or does not come forward? If the owner does not come forward, who ultimately owns the money — the finder or the state?"
Santa Blumberga-Svede from LVportals answers:
"If an item is found and the owner is unknown, it is necessary to contact the police and report the finding. According to Article 945 of the Civil Law, if the finder does not know who lost the item, they are obliged to notify the local police within a week from the date of the finding.
The police are responsible for ensuring the safekeeping of the found items and documents transferred to them until a further decision is made. It is also within the police's competence to determine the further fate of the found property (Article 12 of the Law on Police), including:
• transferring the property to the State Revenue Service if the owner of the found item is not identified within six months from the date of publication of the announcement on the official police website and the finder refuses to accept it as their own;
• destroying found property that has no value, is unusable, is prohibited from circulation by law, or is hazardous to the environment.
Article 948 of the Civil Law stipulates that if the finder demands a reward upon transferring the item to the owner, its amount is determined by the court but cannot exceed one-third of the value of the found item minus expenses, unless the loser promised a larger amount or the parties agreed voluntarily.
According to Article 949 of the Civil Law, if the owner does not come forward within six months from the date of the police announcement, the found item or the proceeds from its sale become the property of the finder, who is then responsible for storage costs and other related expenses.
Leave a comment