Vaud
The former pastry star finds himself in court on Monday. Fifteen private donors lost millions in the business after being rolled into flour.
Philippe Guignard has been appearing since Monday for fraud.
–KEYSTONE/LAURENT GILLIERON
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Philippe Guignard is accused of fraud for having cheated sixteen people with a real estate project and used their money – more than three million francs – to pay off debts.
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In addition to the Vaudois, three accomplices are found on the dock for complicity of swindle. The hearing of this dense case, whose indictment is spread over 62 pages, is scheduled to last eight days at the cantonal courtroom of Renens.
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The facts complained of date back to the fall of 2011 while the Guignard Empire faltered. The entrepreneur-pastry chef, who then operated several establishments in the Vallée de Joux, Orbe, Yverdon or Lausanne, faced significant debts.
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Dropped by the banks, he imagines a ploy to attract private donors in a real estate project in Orbe. The objective is actually to take this money to meet the cash needs of his company Guignard Desserts Orbe SA and settle his personal debts, notes the indictment.
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Deception
To carry out his plan, Philippe Guignard relies on his notoriety. With one of his accomplices, he also seeks to “give credibility to the imposture” by creating a “sham of an investment fund”, writes the prosecutor Anton Rüsch.
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A commercial brochure is even developed “to support any approach with other dupes”. This brochure details the real estate project, which includes a pastry laboratory, shops, a gas station and 32 apartments.
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Philippe Guignard also benefits from the help of a notary friend. This contributes in particular to convincing the first victim by praising “deceptively” the solidity of the project, continues the indictment.
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This first victim, an entrepreneur, fell into the trap in November 2011 by paying 1.5 million francs. Subsequently, fifteen other people are fooled between January 2012 and November 2013 for a total amount of 1.7 million francs.
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Bankruptcies
This money is not enough to save Philippe Guignard from bankruptcy. His company went bankrupt in 2014 and the pastry chef himself declared personal bankruptcy a few months later.
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Affected in his health, a depression which he has never hidden, the former president of Lausanne-Sport (2002-2006) tried to relaunch in 2015. But his new establishment in Orbe had to close in spring 2019, Philippe Guignard having been caught by the disease.
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Besides the scam by profession, the deposed 57-year-old chef must answer for aggravated unfair management and faulty management. The case was tried by the Broye and Nord Vaudois District Correctional Court, which was relocated to Renens for the occasion because of the coronavirus.
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(ATS)
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