Georges Marsan case, safety, youth... Pierre Dartout's end-of-year review

In an interview broadcast on Monaco Info, the Minister of State reviewed the major events in Monaco.

The indictment of Mayor Georges Marsan was one of the major events of the year, shaking Monaco just a few weeks before the start of the holiday season. The elected official was taken into police custody on Thursday December 14, and subsequently charged, along with three others, with “active corruption of a national public official”, “passive corruption by a national public official”, “active and passive influence peddling”, “unlawful taking of interest by a national public official” and “criminal conspiracy”.

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While the Public Prosecutor’s Office has just announced that the Mayor is forbidden to contact other members of the Mairie staff, Pierre Dartout was asked about the matter. “Anyone in the situation in which Mr. Marsan finds himself benefits from the presumption of innocence”, clarified the Minister of State, who has written to the Secretary of State for Justice since the announcement of the indictment. “In order to be aware of the measures taken against him […] Simply to assess whether or not these measures pose a certain number of difficulties in the administration of the commune and in particular in the running of the Town Hall”.

On the question of Georges Marsan’s continued mandate, the Minister of State asserted his position. “I don’t have an opinion on the matter,” he said, “but I would point out that there are certain conditions, which we’ll have to check to see if they’ve been met, which mean that he may be prevented from carrying out his duties, but for all that, he remains Mayor of Monaco.”

An “ambitious and realistic” budget

On Thursday December 21, the preliminary budget for the 2024 financial year was adopted by 16 votes “for”, five “against” and two abstentions. After some differences between the National Council and the Government, Pierre Dartout made no secret of his satisfaction. “In the weeks leading up to the vote, we were able to measure the progress made in our contacts with the National Council, which took place in a constructive atmosphere,” he said. “Even if we don’t agree on everything, of course”, he said, referring to the “step towards the other“ approach.

“It’s an ambitious and realistic budget” […] “Realistic because we must always be concerned with balancing public finances, and not resort to borrowing”. Pierre Dartout elaborated: “We must ensure that the budget reflects the Principality’s ambitions in terms of development, attractiveness, wealth creation and job creation”.

When asked about projects for the coming year, Pierre Dartout mentioned mobility, the waste treatment centre and the Fontvielle shopping centre. With regard to the latter, the Minister of State highlighted the “ambition and realism” required for its completion. “The ambition was to create a better quality shopping centre, resized […] “At the same time, we need to be realistic about the cost of the operation, and have this concern for a good balance”.

“We have an unrivalled level of safety”

Another topic was security. “The forces of law and order must remain very vigilant. We are living in a period of anxiety”. Pierre Dartout referred to the shooting at Charles University in Prague on Thursday December 21, for which Prince Albert II recently offered his condolences to the families of the 13 victims. “Monaco has not been spared this state of mind.” […] “What I can say to Monegasques is that we have a level of security here that is unequalled”, assured the Minister of State. “All measures are being taken, particularly during this holiday season, to ensure that things run as smoothly as possible.”

Youth: “do more and better”

“We realised that we needed to do more and better in this area”. Pierre Dartout returned to the subject of Monaco’s ice rink, absent from the Principality for the second year running. “The question of the ice rink must be seen in the light of the constraints we have in terms of energy and the environment.” {…] “Monaco, with its 2.2km2 surface area, unfortunately cannot guarantee a full range of sports facilities or infrastructures for everyone or in all areas”, he added. Pierre Dartout also confirmed that the bowling project in the Principality “is going ahead”.

Local environment: “a balance to be struck”

The Minister of State spoke of the major works underway in the Principality. “In Fontvieille, with the Charles III block, and the new college, but in other parts of the Principality, private and state housing projects are continuing” […] “This is very important for the Monegasque economy. Monaco’s prosperity is largely linked to the construction and success of these projects”[…] “However, we are fully aware of the constraints and nuisances involved, so there is a balance to be struck here too.” Pierre Dartout referred in particular to the silent tools used by a growing number of companies to ensure the comfort of Monegasque residents.

Moneyval report, applying regulations

At the start of 2023, the Moneyval report called on Monaco to “intensify its efforts in the investigation and prosecution of money laundering, confiscation and recovery of the proceeds of crime, and strengthen its supervisory system.” When asked about this, Pierre Dartout gave an initial assessment.

“We’ve passed three laws and have a fourth bill on the table, which will be examined in January. These laws are very important, and they show that we are making clear progress in terms of compliance with our texts. At the same time, we are working to implement these laws.” […] “We don’t do it out of the goodness of our hearts, but it’s necessary to ensure that regulations are applied as effectively as possible”, concluded the Minister of State.