Public prosecutors in the East Flemish town of Oudenaarde have opened an investigation into possible fraud at Peter Goossens’s three star restaurant, the Hof van Cleve, in Kruishoutem. Public prosecutors have ordered the judicial investigation after accounting irregularities were found in the books.
Oudenaarde public prosecutors have confirmed that both the celebrated chef, Peter Goossens, and his wife – the two owners of the Michelin star restaurant – as well as ‘persons unknown’ are under investigation and may face charges connected to fiscal fraud regarding income tax and the sales tax VAT.
Detectives raided the restaurant five days ago. Peter Goossens was woken at 5 AM, and asked to accompany detectives to the restaurant. Investigators are believed to have been most interested in collecting documentary evidence linked to the accounts as well as computer evidence.
This is not Peter Goossens’s first brush with the law this year. Earlier he was involved in an accident. He was drunk and had to hand in his driving licence. Later it emerged that the celebrated chef was suffering from depression. The latest Gault&Millau Guide gives Hof van Cleve 19.5/20, while his wife received the title Hostess of the Year.
The Belgian tax authorities have recently targeted the restaurant sector to try and cut out VAT fraud and boost government revenue.
