2.3 million evaded?

Schuhbeck "grilled" in Munich court - star chef in prison?

Created: 07/10/2022, 05:00

By: Andreas Thieme

Alfons Schuhbeck is said to have evaded a lot of money.

Now the star chef is on trial - for the first time the full extent is known.

An employee also puts a heavy burden on the 73-year-old.

Munich – The cheeks are sunken, the look sad: Pale as a ghost, Alfons Schuhbeck (73) enters courtroom 134 in the Palace of Justice at 8.57 a.m.

He faces the photographers upright, clasping his hands behind his back.

But the star chef looks exhausted and dead, with deep red circles under his eyes.

It's his hardest walk.   

Schuhbeck is said to have evaded taxes totaling 2,366,232 million euros - for the first time all figures have now come to light.

And it looks bad for Fonsi: Judge Andrea Wagner sees the allegations against him as "so serious" that a suspended sentence "would be very questionable" even in the event of a confession.

The public prosecutor's office accuses Schuhbeck of a total of 32 cases of tax evasion.

For ten years now, German courts have said: No mercy for tax evaders when it comes to more than one million euros.

With Alfons Schuhbeck, however, it is a multiple of that - the extent is frightening.

According to the indictment, the star chef is said not only to have paid too few taxes in the years 2009 to 2016, but also to have regularly and deliberately falsified balance sheets.

According to the indictment, he swindled an additional 1,138,345 euros in illegal tax advantages for his companies.

Criminal proceedings in Munich: Schuhbeck's tax liability is alarmingly high / probation "very questionable"

Prosecutor Susanne Gehrke-Haibl needed a full 23 minutes to present the individual allegations.

It's all about numbers: income and sales tax, trade and corporation tax.

In all areas, Schuhbeck is said to have made false statements as managing director of his Orlando and Am Platzl GmbH and Schuhbecks Holding - he is now facing a prison sentence in Munich for this.

"That would ruin Mr. Schuhbeck," said his defense attorneys Sascha König and Markus Gotzens.

In a preliminary talk with the court, they had already explored how the star chef could still avoid jail.

But an agreement failed - the court and the public prosecutor's office refused.

The criminal proceedings started yesterday, which the judiciary named after Schuhbeck's favorite spice: ginger.

With a confession, Schuhbeck could avoid a long process, the judge said.

Schuhbeck is silent.

And was suddenly surprised by the statement of a long-time employee.

Alfons Schuhbeck, cook and entrepreneur, stands as a defendant in the courtroom of the Munich I Regional Court. The public prosecutor's office has accused him of suspected tax evasion.

© Sven Hoppe/dpa

Tax evasion: co-defendant burdens Alfons Schuhbeck heavily

Jürgen W. (65), who is also accused, admitted the allegations from the indictment: According to this, the IT specialist programmed software for Schuhbeck that can be used to subsequently falsify billing.

“Schuhbeck wanted a way to reduce the daily income.

I knew that he could use it to delete sales and withdraw cash amounts, but was economically dependent on him after insolvency," said W. He made the program available to Schuhbeck on a USB stick.

At home on the computer, Schuhbeck was able to subsequently amend invoices paid in cash.

The result: "Schuhbeck was able to print out a new receipt, which then ended up in the accounting department," says Jürgen W. The Munich restaurateur was "very well aware" of the criminal processes.

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"It is true that there are anomalies in the evaluated data," say Schuhbeck's lawyers Sascha König and Markus Gotzens.

However, there is "no proof" that Schuhbeck manipulated the tills.

He is a victim, not a perpetrator.

Because other people would have had access - the shift manager from Orlando says so.

It is also questionable where the millions have gone.

"In the event of bankruptcy, Schuhbeck would have had to state that," say the lawyers.

But Judge Wagner grilled the cook: he should consider whether he still wanted to testify about the serious allegations.

"I think that makes sense and is appropriate," warned Wagner.