The former top chef Alfons Schuhbeck wants to have the judgment of the Munich district court reviewed in the next instance. Shortly before the deadline expired, he decided to press ahead with the appeal before the Federal Court of Justice. That decision had to be made this week.
If Schuhbeck had decided against an appeal, he would soon have had to start his prison term. On October 27, 2022, the district court sentenced him to three years and two months in prison for tax evasion. It was considered proven that Schuhbeck diverted around four million euros from the coffers of his restaurants “Orlando” and “Südtiroler Stuben” on the Platzl and therefore did not pay taxes. This caused the state damage of 2.2 million euros. From a damage of one million euros, the Federal Court of Justice normally prescribes that a suspended sentence is no longer possible.
Schuhbeck enters the appeal without his previous lawyers Markus Gotzens and Sascha König. He turned to the Berlin auditing expert Ali Norouzi for this. However, experts rate the chances of a successful revision as low. Apparently, Schuhbeck’s main concern is to gain time. The chef is still looking for an investor who will buy his spice business and also take over his tax debts – that is proving difficult.
Apparently, Schuhbeck’s main concern is to gain time
He closed the “Südtiroler Stuben” with a gala dinner on New Year’s Eve. The “Orlando” hasn’t belonged to him for a long time and is being continued by new owners under a different name. He filed for bankruptcy in 2021. However, his spokesman said he would continue his efforts to “repair the damage in full”.
Trusted Schuhbecks had said that the cook did not want to admit the explosiveness of his situation for a long time. He said in court that he was afraid of going to jail. This fear now also seems to lead to the legal exhaustion of everything that will bring him a few months’ delay. It usually takes around six months to a year for the Federal Court of Justice to decide on the appeal. However, the judgment of the Munich District Court offers only a few points of attack for a successful appeal.