Prince Albert's former associate hits back at Monaco charges
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
A Paris law firm has condemned the indictment of a figure linked to Prince Albert II as politically motivated and based on unfounded accusations.
A legal dispute with direct connections to the Princely Palace moved into the open on Saturday 5 September, when the Paris firm of Maître Thierry Lacoste issued a sharp public statement denouncing its client's indictment by Monaco prosecutors as a "stitch-up" built on what it described as a jumble of baseless allegations.
Lacoste, a lawyer well known in Monaco legal circles and long associated with Prince Albert II, is the subject of formal charges brought by the Principality's judicial authorities. His firm's response stops well short of engaging with the substance of those charges, focusing instead on the circumstances and motivation behind the prosecution itself, which it characterises as orchestrated rather than evidence-led.
The case adds to a series of legal and reputational pressures touching figures in Prince Albert's orbit, and will be followed closely by Monaco's legal and business communities. No further details of the specific allegations have been made public by the Monegasque authorities at this stage.