Cold facts’ program Local Scandals tells the story of vegan chef Amir Badeie, declared a genius. He built the image of himself as an innovative food entrepreneur with a new method of producing vegetarian protein from mushrooms. Investors were attracted to invest millions of kroner. Then Borås newspaper exposed the scam and now he is charged with several cases of gross fraud. The trial is ongoing in Borås district court. Built luxury houses in the archipelago Amir Badeie acquired a plot of land in the Bohuslän archipelago for five million kroner, where he then built a house. In the district court, he explains that he shared the costs with his partner and that his share was financed through loans from private individuals. – The money that has gone into the companies has been used for operational costs and projects, says Amir Badeie in the courtroom. He admits that he has made a withdrawal from one of the companies but denies that the company’s money went to his property. Agreements with large players During the interrogation, Amir Badeie was pressed about text messages and messages in which he described deals with large players such as Lidl and Ikea. In a message from 2022, he wrote that Lidl would buy 750,000 units per year and that the company’s European market could become relevant if everything worked out. In court, Amir Badeie admits that no formal agreement ever existed. – I can sometimes write a little slurred. I know we have been in contact with Ikea. It has been positive. It is a happy message that I wanted to share, says Amir Badeie. He also believes that several opportunities have been wasted due to negative media reporting. Patents are mentioned in agreements During the interrogation, the content of shareholder agreements for companies linked to Amir Badeie’s operations was touched upon. According to the agreements, Amir Badeie is to have developed various types of technology and innovations that the companies are to commercialize, including water purification. Appendices also describe the existence of patents and patent applications. Amir Badeie denies that he ever claimed that such patents existed and claims that the information in the agreements did not come from him. – I was not involved in drawing up the agreement. It was the shareholders and their legal representatives who designed it, he says. Amir Badeie further believes that a correction about the lack of patent was sent out at a later time. The prosecutor pointed out that the wording is in an appendix to the agreement and that there is no correction attached.
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