Finders keepers

The news that Maltese Customs was ordered by a Maltese court to return $5 000 to an airport loader who had found it on a plane, has been reported by media all over the world from South Africa to India. From Reuters:

A Maltese court has ordered the Customs Department to return to an aircraft loader $5,000 (2,665 pounds) he found on a plane. The loader found the cash on a plane that arrived in Malta from Tripoli in July 2000. He handed it to customs, but asked for it to be returned when no one claimed it. Customs refused, arguing it was illegal to hold foreign currency under a law existing at the time. A court on Monday decided however that the loader, John Fiteni, had a right to the money, the Malta Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.