Suspicion of tax evasion: Star chef Alfons Schuhbeck has to go to court

He has cooked for many stars, statesmen, monarchs and also FC Bayern.

Suspicion of tax evasion: Star chef Alfons Schuhbeck has to go to court

He has cooked for many stars, statesmen, monarchs and also FC Bayern. He built a business empire around his cooking skills. Now Alfons Schuhbeck has to face a tax evasion process.

The Munich star chef Alfons Schuhbeck has to go to court on charges of tax evasion. The Munich I district court allowed the charges against the 73-year-old, as a court spokesman confirmed. Schuhbeck's lawyer Sascha König initially did not want to comment on the opening of the main proceedings when asked. Schuhbeck had not wanted to say anything about the indictment last year. According to the court, it was initially unclear when the trial was to begin. "Dates have not yet been determined," said the court spokesman.

Three years ago, the investigations by the Munich I public prosecutor's office into suspected tax evasion against Schuhbeck became known. In this context, his business premises were also searched. "I will work very closely and very openly with the authorities to refute all allegations," said the chef at the time. He is "answering the authorities on all questions".

Schuhbeck is one of the most famous chefs and restaurateurs in Germany. He has already cooked for the Beatles and Charlie Chaplin, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth II - and time and again for FC Bayern Munich. His name is a brand. He built up a network of companies with three restaurants, a catering service, an ice cream parlor and spice shops.

Last year, however, it became known that Schuhbeck's empire was in financial difficulties. He filed for bankruptcy and justified it with the lack of state aid in the wake of the corona pandemic.

"Since the state aid that has been announced in full has not come to me to this day, I have to file for bankruptcy for my company," said Schuhbeck at the time, according to a message that was headed: "The next Corona victim". Schuhbeck announced at the time that he had hoped for government financial aid until the very end and put private money into his company. "But now it's over."

However, according to information from the Federal Office of Justice (BFJ), Schuhbeck has not published any annual reports since 2017. Since this violates the disclosure obligation prescribed in the Commercial Code for several types of companies, the Bonn authority initiated administrative fine proceedings, as the BFJ announced on request shortly after the insolvency proceedings became known. The balance sheets of Schuhbeck's Holding GmbH were missing from the Federal Gazette in the summer