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Benoît Violier, acclaimed chef who took his own life, was reportedly victim of wine scam

Benoît Violier, described as the “world’s best chef” and who was found de...
Newstalk
Newstalk

17.09 8 Feb 2016


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Benoît Violier, acclaimed chef...

Benoît Violier, acclaimed chef who took his own life, was reportedly victim of wine scam

Newstalk
Newstalk

17.09 8 Feb 2016


Share this article


Benoît Violier, described as the “world’s best chef” and who was found dead by suicide in his Swiss home last week, was reportedly the victim of a wine scam that had left him with serious financial problems, reports claim.

The French-Swiss chef was the creative genius at the forefront of the kitchen in the three-Michelin-star Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville is a suburb of Lausanne, Switzerland. The restaurant also ranked first in the prestigious La Liste in December 2015.

The Swiss magazine Bilan has claimed that the chef had become the victim of a far-reaching scam that was concocted by Private Finance Partners, a wine merchant based in Sion in the Valais canton. The magazine contends that the wine company failed to deliver highly valuable bottles that were bought for thousands of euro to Violier’s sommelier.

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According to the magazine, Private Finance Partners actually sold the very same wines, priced at between €18,000 and €36,000 a bottle, to as many as four different unsuspecting buyers in high-end restaurants.

The Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, a suburb of Lausanne, which had just been named the world's best restaurant by the French government's La Liste [Wiki Commons]

Bilan claims that Violier’s restaurant had accrued huge debts due to the wine scam, with losses potentially as high as €1.8m. Private Finance Partners was officially declared bankrupt last November and there are now reports that one of its brokers was taken into custody the month before.

Violier was laid to rest on Saturday in his native France after a funeral service in Lausanne Cathedral in Switzerland, where a crowd of 1,500 gathered to say farewell to the beloved chef. He is survived by his wife Brigitte and their 12-year-old son, Romain.

If there is something troubling you, you can get in touch with the Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by calling 116 123 or sending a text message to 087 260 9090.

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