World’s best chef said to have committed suicide last week had recently fallen victim to a £1m wine scam, this is according to new reports.
Mr Benoit Violier, 44, was discovered dead with self-inflicted gunshot wounds and a rifle by his side, according to police who are investigating his death.
The chef was known for running the prestigious “Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville”.
It has now emerged that the married father-of-one fell for a scheme where rare wines priced from £14,000 up to £27,500 were sold to restaurants – but never delivered.
According to Swiss financial magazine Bilan, Violier’s restaurant suffered losses due to the scam of between £554,700 and £1.37 million.
The chef rose to fame after his restaurant was named “the world’s best” by France’s La Liste ranking. A full investigation into his death with now take place.