The Public Prosecution Service has requested that the Criminal Court in the Flemish Brabant city of Leuven sentence two men that switched the contents of hundreds of barrels of beer with water to two years in jail.
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Two-year prison sentences demanded for beer barrel swindlers
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Bars in the Netherlands and a bar in Antwerp were among the victims of the fraud. The Leuven-based multinational drinks company AB InBev destroyed 55,000 barrels of beer as a precaution once the fraud came to light. The company is a plaintiff in the case and is demanding 600,000 euro compensation.
At the end of 2018, AB InBev received reports from several bars The Netherlands that his kegs had been filled with water rather than beer.
This was also the case at a New Year's party in Antwerp, AB Inbev's lawyer told the court. The brewer immediately launched an investigation. The investigation found that what had happened was not the result of a production error at the brewery. The company then called in a private detective who was able to link all the barrels that contained water to the same driver.
Sat Nav data from the driver’s vehicle was analysed. This showed that before delivering the barrels he made a detour via warehouses in Zaventem and Grimbergen (both Flemish Brabant), where his vehicle stood for an hour. During that period it is alleged that the barrels were switched. The driver then drove on to deliver the switched barrels to the customers. It is alleged that this was done a total of 5 times and that a total of 420 barrels were switched in this way. It is not clear whether the two accused then sold the beer that they allegedly stole.
Damages
Both defendants in the case have criminal records. Neither showed up for their trial in Leuven. One of the defendants, the driver, has already confessed the police, and hopes that this will ensure a lower sentence. If convicted, the second defendant, a drinks merchant, faces a twenty-month prison sentence. He denies any involvement and is asking to be aquitted. AB InBev is asking for 591,000 euro in damages from the two accused.