The Dutch meat trader at the heart of the horse meat scandal is to appear in court in March, prosecutors in the Netherlands have confirmed.
Willy Selten, whose wholesale business triggered a 50,000-tonne meat recall across Europe in 2013, will appear before a court in Den Bosch on 24 March, charged with fraud. Selten is suspected of falsifying a number of documents between 1 January 2011 and 15 February 2013.
Two of Selten’s colleagues, a sales director and an administration worker, who were suspects in the case will not be prosecuted, after the Dutch public prosecution service, Openbaar Ministerie, found no evidence that they had been involved in fraud.
If found guilty, Selten could face up to six years in prison.
The scandal triggered a review, led by Professor Chris Elliott, into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks. Elliott published his interim report in December, warning that the UK food industry and consumers remained at risk from criminals, and that only a dramatic change in industry culture could protect them.
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