A Danish chef couple, known for their environment-friendly retreat Stedsans, has reportedly fled to Guatemala amid a probe by tax authorities. Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbaek also left 158 barrels of human waste and sewerage now seeping into the nearby forest, The Guardian reported.
Their staff claimed that several animals, including ducks, died as a result of the couple leaving them outside during the night, and that other animals were abandoned after they disappeared.
Hansen and Helbaek claimed to have "felt the call of the wild" when they established their supposedly eco-friendly resort, Stedsans, in Halland, southern Sweden. The couple previously operated a popular rooftop restaurant in Copenhagen.
Reviewers and influencers praised Stedsans, consisting of 16 wooden houses with nature views, calling it "enchanting luxury" and "magical,".
But then, Stedsans was declared bankrupt in March; and the pair allegedly registered as foreign residents prior to Christmas.
The couple is under investigation for leaving a trail of financial and environmental catastrophe after their sudden departure months ago, The Guardian reported, citing Danish media.
After leaving Copenhagen in 2016, where they owed millions of kroner to Danish tax authorities, the pair moved to Sweden and founded Stedsans.
Following the establishment of Stedsans, Hansen and Helbaek began accruing debt to Swedish tax authorities, which reportedly reached 6 million SEK (Euro 470,000).
They have since opened a second hotel in Guatemala.
On their website, the couple said they came very far with Stedsans but also realised that being soul-driven entrepreneurs on a mission in a country with some of the highest in the world and relentless bureaucracy, it was an impossible task.
"When you read this we have probably been declared bankrupt by the Swedish tax authorities. All we ever wanted was to be a part of creating a more beautiful planet," they added.
Authorities are currently looking into the legal and environmental infractions connected to the couple's abrupt disappearance. Officials called the couple's actions "environmental crime," and Daniel Helsing, who leads the county's construction and environment department, expressed shock and said, "Voila. Over 150 barrels of human shit."
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