Road Rage, Cocaine and International Fraud Keep Monaco’s Courts Busy

Road Rage Ignites and a Violent Youth Heads For Prison

An aggressive young man on his motor scooter was enraged when as he approached a Supermarket in Fontvieille a car emerged from the parking. Instead of yielding to give the scooter priority, as the car should have, the car instead caused him to swerve to avoid a collision. Instead of reporting the incident to the police the young man took the law into his own hands – and sadly went far beyond anything reasonable. He blocked the car from advancing, got off his scooter and punched the driver in the face repeatedly.

Cameras recorded it all and landed him in court facing possible jail and fines for damages. It didn’t help on discovery that he was a multiple offender for acts of violence and theft. He was facing a Prosecution request for a suspended sentence of up to 15 days in jail and 7.000 euros fine for damages. Easy to say with hindsight, he should have just reported the driver of the car to the police. The car had not yielded when it should. The Court ruled: 8 days suspended jail sentence and 4.000 euros damages. An expensive loss of temper!

Detectives Unravel a Complex International Web of Fraudsters Targeting Monaco

The existence of the Internet has accelerated instances of international fraud, which has attracted a very skilled group of global players specializing in deceit. Two French west Africans were facing Monaco Justice charged with attempting to defraud six Monegasque societies with a sophisticated proposition involving the feigned identity of a reputable President of an international company. Requested to transfer funds to bank accounts in China and Israel, five of the six targeted Monegasque companies smelled fraud, the sixth transferred funds to a Hong Kong account.

A complicated web of deceit with two front people facing Justice in Monaco but with the identities of the villains behind the scene not fully uncovered. A Criminal offense with potential jail time required proof that the transferred funds had been in the possession of the two accomplices charged by the Court. Lacking absolute proof within a complex IT web of concealment, the best the Court could do was to drop part of the Criminal case. The Court instead ruled in favour of a fine of 5000 euros for “moral prejudice” for falsely promoting wiring funds. At least part of the fraudulent network was exposed if not all the villains behind it.

You Don’t Have to be a Dealer to be Jailed for Cocaine Use in Monaco

Systematic disregard for Monaco’s drugs laws were nipped in the bud in this case. The police had detected a group of young abusers of cocaine becoming bolder and bolder in feeding their habit – a costly habit at 100 euros a gram.

Seven youths were habitually consuming in the bathrooms of their favourite night spots.
Regular consumption of this type eventually becomes organized and involves arranging the acquisition and transport of the drugs. They were not drug dealers in the primary sense of the words but they were getting increasingly organized in supplying themselves. The police detectives eventually put a mole in play to help bring to justice any wider supply ring.

Monaco has a zero tolerance policy toward drugs and hauled the seven into court. The evidence was compelling. It just remained to decide the severity of the sentences. And that depended on whether the offense was consuming or involved transporting and hoarding the drugs.

Two of the youths were sent to prison for one month and four months respectively – a signal by the Courts how seriously Monaco abides by its zero tolerance policy. Four of the others, including two young women, attracted suspended sentences of three to four months. The seventh offender was fined 3.000 euros and given a six month suspended prison sentence.