A UK man is trying to sue his local council over a Bitcoin hard drive buried in a tip more than 10 years ago.
James Howells claimed the Bitcoin wallet on the hard drive would now be worth £600 milion (over $1.1 billion), the BBC reported.
He claimed his girlfriend had accidentally thrown out the hard drive in 2013.
READ MORE: The amount of super Aussies need to be able to retire
It was buried in a landfill by Newport County authorities in Wales, and Howells wants access to the site to get it back.
In a hearing to determine if Howells could proceed to sue the council, the judge was told by the council's barrister James Goudie that Howells had offered to donate 10 per cent of the Bitcoin to the community in what amounted to a bribe, the BBC said.
He said the council was under no obligation to excavate and that too much time had elapsed for Howells' claim to the hard drive to have merit.
READ MORE: Mass protests after South Korean president declares martial law
He also claimed that property deposited at landfills was considered to belong to the council, and that environmental regulations would forbid an excavation.
By contrast, Howell's barrister Dean Armstrong denied Howells had attempted to bribe the council and that he had a right to access his property, according to the BBC.
"We seek, plainly and candidly, a declaration of rights over the ownership of the Bitcoin," he said.
The judge reserved his decision for a later date.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
