Transparency, Prince Albert has always made it a principle. So since the revelations of Claude Palmerohis former property managerthe sovereign of the Rock wants to be honest towards the Monegasques and those who trust him. He who indicates having been betrayed in an interview given to the newspaper Monaco Morning this Monday, November 18.
At the dawn of the Monegasque celebration which will take place this Tuesday, November 19, Prince Albert spoke frankly in the columns of the daily newspaper Le Rocher. He took the opportunity to discuss Didier Guillaume, new Minister of State of Monaco, and Salim Zeghdar, new property administrator. Two of the new trusted people he has chosen to surround him in the heavy role he has held for almost 20 years. The perfect opportunity to revisit the Palmero scandal which splashes the principality.
Prince Albert's trust betrayed by Claude Palmero?
“I asked my property manager [Salim Zeghdar, ndlr] to take a complete look at the assets of the Crown and my Family. I further requested that the existing offshore companies – the one I was aware of – be closed down as my family and I had no use for them. This closing work is in progress, for administrative reasons they cannot be closed immediately, but they are empty. This is the important point” explains Prince Albert to Monaco Morning. After such revelations, Charlène's husband chose to clean up those around him: “I don't regret […] for calling on other collaborators alongside me. They have my full confidence for the moment and I don't see why that would change in the months to come.“
Although he does not distrust those close to him, Prince Albert nevertheless admits to showing more vigilance: “We must pay attention to everything with more clarity. I had only imperfect knowledge of everything that had been put in place.“Betrayed, the sovereign considers he was”excessively confident and preoccupied with other matters” to realize what was really going on: “When there were explanations, they were not very clear and did not allow me to understand all of the subjects.“Things should now improve after the decisions taken and the changes made by Albert II.
Several complaints have been filed
At the time, Claude Palmero was the administrator of the property of Prince Albert II. But the latter was finally thanked in June 2023 after around twenty years of service to the family. A decision that the main party concerned would not accept, which is now the subject ofa complaint from Prince Albert and his sisters (Stéphanie and Caroline) for violation of professional secrecy, invasion of private and family life and receiving stolen goods, “aimed in particular at statements made by interested parties in the press.” He himself would have filed a complaint against the princely family for abuse of weakness, attempted extortion and theft. A second complaint was filed by the family against him after publication (in addition to the documents on the so-called ” Rocher files”) of documents in the media, The World in particular, that Claude Palmero himself would have transmitted.
Among them, large notebooks in which certain activities would be displayed in detail and would be considered murky in the field of real estate. In 2011, Claude Palmero notably became the owner of a lot of apartments which were, according to Claude Palmero, actually intended for the nephews and nieces of Prince Albert. If Claude Palmero claims to have acted by “dedication” et “took risks in their place, in agreement or at the request of the prince“, Maître Jean-Michel Darrois, lawyer of Albert II who reestablished the truth, explained, as recalled by Monaco Hebdowhich Claude Palmero “had put real estate belonging to the family in his name. Without keeping her informed, he had organized a system by which he paid French taxes before re-invoicing it to the family members concerned.“The case is now in the hands of the courts.
