The Rotterdam court does not impose penalties in a major fraud case involving the Chinese-Japanese restaurant chain Sumo. According to the judge, the Public Prosecutor’s Office jeopardized the integrity of the criminal trial by having a journalist watch the investigation.
Four men from Rotterdam and Schiedam were tried in the case. According to the Public Prosecution Service, they have defrauded the Tax Authorities for millions of euros by concealing income from the restaurants. The court rules that three out of four suspects are guilty of tax fraud.
During the lawsuit, it appeared that the Public Prosecution Service and FIOD were working with a documentary maker. The intention was to make a TV broadcast about the fraud. The journalists had been given access to the police investigations and the suspects’ personal data, writes Rijnmond. This has been an infringement on the privacy of the suspects, according to the judge.
Integrity at stake
“The Public Prosecution Service has tried to keep the making of the documentary secret and thereby tried to prevent the defense from conducting a defense,” the judge said. “Then the integrity of the criminal proceedings is at stake.”
In the decision not to impose a penalty, the court also takes into account that the tax debt and fines have now been paid. However, the court does find three entrepreneurs guilty of remaining suspicions, including for participating in a criminal organization for tax fraud and money laundering of unpaid tax.
–
