In the process of allegations of tax evasion, Alfons Schuhbeck continues to collapse. Now he admits to having deliberately manipulated sales in a second restaurant. This makes a prison sentence for the star chef even more likely.
Star chef Alfons Schuhbeck has expanded his confession in the tax evasion process. He now also admits computer manipulations in his restaurant "Südtiroler Stuben". Missing invoice numbers in the cash register system are "also due to computer manipulations, for which I am ultimately responsible," said the restaurateur before the Munich I Regional Court. "There is no third party responsible for this."
Schuhbeck had already made an extensive confession on Wednesday. However, he was referring to the "Orlando" restaurant, which he also owns. He only assumed general responsibility for the "Südtiroler Stuben" and stated that he could not remember how the manipulations actually happened.
The public prosecutor's office accuses the 73-year-old of having smuggled income past the tax office with the help of a computer program, among other things. In total, there are more than 2.3 million euros in taxes that Schuhbeck is said to have evaded between 2009 and 2016 in the "Orlando" and in the "Südtiroler Stuben".
If convicted, Schuhbeck faces imprisonment. The probability of a prison sentence depends on the extent to which possible tax evasion can be proven. The sum of one million euros is used as a guideline.
Schuhbeck had declared in court that although he was a passionate cook, he was not a good businessman. He said he had "failed entrepreneurially" and was now "standing in front of the ruins of my life's work". His alleged tax offenses also have other consequences: Bayerischer Rundfunk has suspended the broadcast of TV shows with the star chef until further notice.
