Former Supreme Court president Didier Linotte charged with corruption and influence peddling
Didier Linotte was president of the Supreme Court of Monaco from 2012 to 2023 © Monaco Tribune
Didier Linotte, 77, avoided pre-trial detention but remains under strict judicial supervision in a case that has sent shockwaves through Monaco’s institutions.
The former president of Monaco’s Supreme Court, Didier Linotte, was charged on Wednesday with “illegal interest taking, passive corruption by a national public official, passive influence peddling, and money laundering,” according to the public prosecutor. After 48 hours in police custody and seven interviews, the 77-year-old magistrate was placed under judicial supervision and banned from leaving the Principality.
An investigation triggered by the “Dossiers du Rocher”
The case began in 2021 with revelations on the “Dossiers du Rocher” (Rock Files) website, which alleged the existence of a G4 (a group of four people, close to Prince Albert II, all accused of collusion). The investigation, opened in November 2021 on the basis of “evidence gathered abroad” and a “report from the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office”, focuses in particular on the controversial handling of the Esplanade des Pêcheurs project
In 2020, the Supreme Court ordered the Monegasque State to pay 137 million euros in compensation to the developer Caroli, representing almost 10% of the Principality’s budget.
The courts are also looking into the consultancy services provided by Didier Linotte through his company Alma Marceau Transactions. According to the media outlet La Lettre, quoted by Le Parisien, his dealings on behalf of the Vinci group allegedly earned him over €1 million between 2015 and 2023, including “€6,000 per month for regular monitoring of the satisfactory execution of the contract” on the Testimonio 2 project. While his phone was tapped, the former magistrate is said to have told his daughter that “these days, you can’t make money without going to prison,” as Le Parisien also reveals.
His lawyer, Pascal-Pierre Garbarini, denounced a “procedure that was inappropriate in view of his lack of criminal record and his age” and spoke of a “private vendetta” by certain local economic players.
Didier Linotte can no longer leave the Principality and must avoid all contact with over twenty-five people identified in the case.
Sources : Le Parisien, Monaco-Matin, Actu.fr