New charges brought against imprisoned celebrity German chef

New charges have been brought against the star German chef Alfons Schuhbeck, who is in prison serving a three-year sentence for tax evasion, the public prosecutor's office in Munich said on Wednesday.

The charges include nine counts of delayed bankruptcy filing, four counts of fraud, five counts of attempted fraud, 19 counts of subsidy fraud and 479 counts of withholding and embezzling wages, it said.

According to the public prosecutor's office, Schuhbeck wrongly applied for emergency and bridging aid, among other crimes. "He knowingly provided false information in order to obtain unjustified subsidies on a large scale for the companies he represents and to create a source of income," the office said in a statement.

For nine of his companies, Schuhbeck is also said to have failed to file the necessary insolvency applications or to have filed them late, the prosecutor said.

Schuhbeck was one of the most famous chefs in Germany, with a network of companies, three restaurants, a catering service, an ice cream parlour and a chain of spice shops.

He received his first Michelin star in 1983 and has cooked for prominent figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, the Beatles and Charlie Chaplin.

The 75-year-old had a dramatic fall from grace, filing for insolvency of his restaurants before being convicted of tax evasion amounting to €2.3 million ($2.5 million) in October 2022. He has been in prison since August 2023.

Speaking in court in 2022, Schuhbeck expressed regret for his mistakes: "I deluded myself, my friends and acquaintances and even my defence lawyers to the very end because I refused to admit that I had failed as an entrepreneur."

"If I could undo it, I would do so immediately," he said.