The Dutch meat trader allegedly behind Europe’s horsemeat scandal in 2013 should be sentenced to five years in prison, national prosecutors in The Netherlands say.

Willy Selden, 45, was a “master of deception” in his manipulation of international meat sales, Dutch prosecutors told a district court March 24 in the southern city of Den Bosh. Selden is accused of fraud in his involvement in “Horsegate,” in which hundreds of tons of horsemeat were sold as beef throughout Western Europe. The scandal resulted in the closing of several meat processing companies—most notably Spanghero in France, which produced the frozen lasagna sold in grocery stores.

Investigations revealed that Selden provided falsified documents throughout the entire meat processing chain, according to the Dutch public prosecution website Openbaar Ministerie.

“From purchase invoice to weigh list, delivery notes, order forms, entry into the administrative system, weighing labels, withdrawal orders, and sales invoices, at no point (was) horse meat … registered,” the website stated. “And not only that: In statements to customers, (Selden) claimed that his company only processed beef