Four protagonists of the 2013 Europe-wide horsemeat scandal must stand trial in France, the judge leading the investigation into the case has ruled.

In a decision reported by the AFP news agency, the judge referred two former senior executives of Spanghero, the now defunct French meat processor at the centre of the investigation, and two Dutch meat traders to court for trial.

The four men were charged with fraud after the French competition and consumer protection authority estimated that 750t of horsemeat traded through their businesses was sold as beef in 13 European countries. The countries included Ireland, where the fraud was first discovered.

The judge’s ruling concludes an investigation that resulted in a wave of arrests across Europe in May 2015.

Court documents reportedly detail the fraudulent chain involving horsemeat from Romania, Belgium and Canada, which was re-labeled as beef at Spanghero and sold on to manufacturers of prepared foods. The two French nationals also stand accused of tampering with evidence in the investigation.

They and one of the Dutch traders face a separate charge of fraud for importing mechanically separated sheepmeat, which is illegal because of BSE risks. One of the accused has appealed the judge’s decision to send the case to trial.

Three businessmen were convicted in connection with the horsemeat scandal in the UK last year and two of them received prison sentences. A Dutch horse meat trader was convicted and jailed in 2015.

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