Courgette owner jailed for laundering drug money; restaurant continues to operate
An exclusive Canberran restaurant will continue to keep its doors opened, despite owner and acclaimed chef James Daniel Mussillon being jailed for laundering drug money.
Courgette has gone into administration; however, customers have been urged to keep their bookings even though.
Restructuring experts Slaven Torline took over J Mussillon Pty Ltd, which trades as Courgette Restaurant, on Wednesday.
The move came after the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) had instituted debt recovery proceedings.
Slaven Torline partner, Aaron Torline told The Canberra Times that Mussillon’s jail sentence was a separate matter.
He said it was "business as usual" at Courgette and "the restaurant's not going anywhere".
"We encourage people to keep their bookings and support the restaurant," Torline said.
There are 18 people employed at Courgette.
"There's no intention to get rid of staff at this stage," Torline said on Wednesday.
The firm is restructuring to clear its tax debts.
"There's certainly a viable business there."
However, viability was questioned when 51-year-old Mussillon was jailed for money laundering, perjury, fraud, making false evidence and general dishonesty.
Mussillon used the restaurant to launder more than $360,000 from a cannabis trafficking enterprise over five years. He took “dirty money” from a drug dealer and paid his staff with that money.
The dealer was on Courgette's books to make the arrangement look legitimate.
The chef also received $31,900 in JobKeeper subsidies from the federal government that he was not entitled to.
Justice David Mossop called out Mussillon for his "brazen and apparently enthusiastic lies" and sentenced him to three years and 11 months in jail.
Mussillon will serve 12 months behind bars, with the rest of the term suspended.
Jonathan Jackson, 27th April 2023
