British Man Pleading To Search Landfill To Retrieve $716M Bitcoin Now “Seeking to Bribe the Council”

James Howells, the British man who is seeking to find $716 million worth of Bitcoin in a landfill has been accused in court of “seeking to bribe the council” for attempting to retrieve a Bitcoin hard drive.

According to a BBC report, James Howells is trying to sue the local government to obtain access to the site or receive £495 million or $627 million in compensation.

James Howells Plea To Search The Landfill Reaches Court

Howells’ attempt to amass enormous wealth was heard by a judge on Tuesday, December 3rd, where his legal team contended that a search for the hard drive that contained the Bitcoin could still be conducted.

They asserted that instead of looking for a “needle in a haystack,” the location of the Bitcoin hoard had been reduced to a small area, and a “finely tuned” plan was in place to recover it.

Howell’s Lost Drive: What Happened?

James Howells had been pleading Halfina Eddy-Evans, his ex-girlfriend, to assist him in retrieving a hard drive that holds an incredible 8,000 Bitcoins, which are currently worth over $716 million.

At Eddy-Evans’ request, Howells, an IT engineer, unintentionally threw away the hard drive in 2013 while doing a standard housecleaning.

Bitcoin was worth less than $1 at the time, so the 8,000 BTC on the discarded hard drive was only a small portion of what they are now worth.

However, Bitcoin prices have now skyrocketed to a whopping $96,400.27 a piece at the press time, making the value of Howells possession around $772 million at the time of writing.

Is Howells Trying To Bribe The Council?

Howells was defended in his fight against the council by a group of attorneys who worked pro bono at the Cardiff Civil and Family Court. Before Howells’ case can proceed to a full trial at the high court, the authority is requesting an order to strike it out.

However, the interesting fact lies in the claims that Howells has offered to pay a part of his Bitcoin possession to the council if found.

Howells had no legal claim to the hard drive, according to council representative James Goudie KC. “Everything that ends up in the landfill belongs to the council,” he stated.

According to Goudie, Howells’ offer to give Newport Council a portion of the Bitcoin was a bribe. “He is attempting to purchase something that the council is unable to sell,” he stated.