A citizen of the Netherlands with a fondness for the highlife in Monaco has appeared at the Monaco Criminal Court accused of not paying his restaurant bill.

On November 15, the 33-year-old visitor ran up a large bill at the Café de Paris for food and drink, including cold dishes, lobster, champagne and premium whisky. The bill was €665, which he could not pay. The defendant told the court that he wanted to go to the Consulate of the Netherlands to ask for money. He became agitated and was taken to Princess Grace Hospital.

The court heard that four days previously he had been unable to pay a bill of €1,280 at the Hermitage, which included Cristal Roederer for €800. He will be ordered back to court for a further hearing for the earlier offences.

Arguing that it was not clear if the defendant had been unable to pay or had refused to pay, his lawyer called for an acquittal. “He had only drunk too much,” the lawyer said.

The court sentenced the accused to 15 days in prison.

Article first published December 20, 2016.

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