The judge will decide whether star restaurant Monarh in Tilburg should actually close its doors. The municipality of Tilburg has ordered the restaurant to close after an investigation by the Bibob agency. He checked whether the restaurant misused permits for criminal activities. Lawyer Marcel Smets has announced that he has lodged a formal appeal against the decision of the municipality. So going to court is a fact.
It is not surprising that lawyer Smets is challenging the municipal decision. Last month, when Tilburg announced the withdrawal of its catering permit, it already announced that it wanted to go to court. So that has now happened.
“We clearly disagree with the municipality of Tilburg, but I’m not going to say anything about it now,” says Smets. A hearing date has not yet been announced. In the meantime, the restaurant may remain open.
Secret investigation
The reason for the municipality of Tilburg to close things down is an investigation into the owner of Monarh: Danny Kovacevic. The municipality of Tilburg called in the national bureau Bibob to map out the trades of him and his restaurant.
Governments ask that agency to screen companies when applying for catering permits, among other things. It looks at the administration, personnel policy and the origin of assets. The conclusions of the investigation are secret, but apparently serious enough for the municipality of Tilburg to want to close the only star restaurant in the city.
Owner denies
This is probably partly due to an inspection by the police and the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate at a Kovacevic transport company. At the end of 2020 they visited because of suspicions of tampering with the administration. According to the police, there were indications that the company was guilty of undermining.
According to Kovacevic, none of that is true. “I’m tired of being portrayed as some serious criminal. I’ve never engaged in criminal activity,” he said last month. “We are going to win the court, because this cannot go on like this. I trust that justice will eventually prevail and that Tilburg may enjoy Monarh for a long time to come, because Monarh is Tilburg.
Star restaurant Wolfslaar
Restaurant Monarh was the first restaurant in Tilburg to receive a Michelin star in 2018. This was not the first time for owner Kovacevic. He also had restaurant Wolfslaar in Breda. It has had a Michelin star since 2005.
Kovacevic sold Wolfslaar last year after the municipality of Breda also looked at permits. A third Kovacevic restaurant, which was to open in the Spoorzone in Tilburg, has also been sold because no catering permit was issued for it.
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