The story went around France and even beyond last week: a submarine was stolen in Ferney-Voltaire (Ain), near Geneva. Then put up for sale on the Leboncoin site by the thieves, the 4-ton yellow machine was found by the police in the Besançon region…
End of the story and happy ending? No: because if it made you smile, the affair does not amuse the owner of the submarine. Because recovering his submersible, which is not insured, will cost him dearly.
“L’Est Républicain” found this owner, a diving enthusiast who wishes to remain anonymous. He says he bought the submarine in 2016 in Gabon. He had obviously previously served an oil company, working around platforms. While we were wondering how this submarine ended up in neighboring France, used as decoration, here is its history.
For the rest, its owner explains that in the end, he will have to pay 3 to 4 times more than the fines imposed on the two individuals who stole his property.
“In this story, the joke is me. The two thieves were fined 400 and 500 euros. It’s good. But for me, to have my submarine repatriated from Besançon to my warehouse, it will cost me 1,500 euros,” he complains in the French daily.
An invoice of almost 1400 €, therefore, for a transporter, to which it will also be necessary to add a trip to Besançon, to sign the report. “The double punishment,” he comments.
