Official opening of the judicial year: public prosecutor reports strong rise in activity
On Wednesday 1st October, the new session of the Courts and Tribunals was held at the Palais de Justice, with Prince Albert II in attendance © Monaco Tribune
Stéphane Thibault, the chief public prosecutor, presented his report on Wednesday 1 October, emphasising the efforts made by the Principality to implement the action plan for its removal from the FATF’s grey list.
The Public Prosecutor began by highlighting the overall increase in the number of complaints and charges: 34% over the last two years. The increase has not prevented the Public Prosecutor’s Office from strengthening its new powers to lead investigations, carrying out 400 preliminary investigations, including around a hundred concerning money laundering. The number of cases settled at the end of the investigation increased by 10%, with almost 300 volumes processed, the equivalent of 30 linear metres of documents. These particularly voluminous cases have enabled examining magistrates to ease their chambers’ workload and concentrate on cases that are fewer in number, but often highly complex.
There was also an increase in fast-track procedures, with 52 immediate appearances, an increase of almost 10%. Ten of these cases involved money laundering, compared with just four the previous year.
As for incarceration, the figures show a 10% rise in the number of prisoners, with the average length of detention increasing by 20%. Stéphane Thibault pointed out that the prison has a capacity of 92 prisoners, with an occupancy rate of under 50%, a figure that “our close neighbours would envy.” The rise in incarceration is in response to the significant increase in thefts recorded this year.
Combating money laundering is top priority
The past year has seen significant results in the fight against financial crime. The public prosecutor’s office has carried out substantial seizures, with assets totalling almost 120 million euros currently held, consisting of cash, bank accounts and property. These amounts are in addition to the half a billion euros worth of assets seized in investigating chambers (531 million euros in June).
An important step forward was the permanent confiscation of two properties acquired for €10 million in 2017 and 2018, as part of a major money laundering case. The confiscation, confirmed by the Court of Appeal in March and made final by the Court of Revision in July, demonstrates the effectiveness of the system put in place.
The number of convictions for money laundering reflects this increased focus: 4 in 2022, 9 in 2023, 29 in 2024 and already 28 in 2025, with a further 8 cases due to be heard by 31 December and a further 9 scheduled for early 2026. These results are an early reflection of the 2025-2027 action plan to remove the Principality from the FATF’s grey list. The second cycle of the plan ended in September, and the third and final cycle is set to end in January 2026.
Priorities for 2026
The public prosecutor has set a number of objectives for the coming year. The first concerns the continuation of financial proceedings, with the support of the new Economic and Financial Division of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, strengthened by the arrival of three experienced new magistrates. He also announced his intention to prioritise action concerning violence against women and the most vulnerable members of society. He noted that custodial sentences were handed down in over half of robbery cases, but only in a fifth of convictions for violence. “Acts committed against those who are in a position of weakness or subordination should be more severely punished,” he said.
Another project is the modernisation of the criminal records office, which issued almost 4,000 records this year (15 to 20 per working day), but whose 10,000 or so records are not yet computerised. A digitisation project is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State shortly. In conclusion, he noted that international cooperation continues to progress, with a 65% increase in French enquiries, particularly from the national financial prosecutor’s office and the national jurisdiction for combating organised crime.