In Monaco, Thierry Lacoste has been charged in the Esplanade des Pêcheurs case.

Thierry Lacoste, childhood friend and former lawyer of Prince Albert II of Monaco, was charged on Saturday, September 5, after several days in police custody, the Monegasque prosecutor's office announced.

The lawyer has been formally charged with "criminal conspiracy, active corruption of a national public official as part of an organized group, passive influence peddling as part of an organized group, and money laundering." He has been placed under judicial supervision.

This indictment does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. Thierry Lacoste denies all the accusations against him.

The Fishermen's Esplanade at the heart of the investigation

The investigations follow a complaint from property developer Patrice Pastor and concern the Esplanade des Pêcheurs project, a major cultural and real estate development planned near Port Hercule.

Interrupted after the Monegasque state withdrew, the project had given rise to a lengthy legal dispute with the company Caroli Immo. In June 2020, the Supreme Court of Monaco ordered the state to pay it nearly 137 million euros, plus capitalized legal interest.

Prince Albert II, in his personal capacity, as well as the Monegasque State, have joined the proceedings against Thierry Lacoste as civil parties.

A strongly contested indictment

Thierry Lacoste's office reacted strongly to the investigating judge's decision.

"This indictment is a disgrace. Based on a jumble of unfounded accusations, it is unfortunately not surprising coming from a Monegasque justice system which has been de facto instrumentalized in the service of the powerful since 2023, especially with regard to hegemonic financial interests which have suborned the circles of power of the Principality over the last three years," the firm said.

For his part, Me Cyril Bonan, lawyer for Prince Albert II, stated that "all those who participated in these actions and against whom the justice system considers there to be serious and consistent evidence will have to answer for their actions and will no longer be able to decently pass themselves off as victims."

Patrice Pastor's lawyers, Antoine Vey and Richard Malka, consider that the criminal charges brought confirm, in their view, "the seriousness of the actions denounced" by their client.

A new installment of the "Rock Files"

This procedure constitutes a new episode in the so-called "Rock Files" affair, named after an anonymous website that appeared in 2021. This website accused several figures then close to Prince Albert II, including Thierry Lacoste and Didier Linotte, former president of the Supreme Court of Monaco, of collusion and conflicts of interest.

Didier Linotte himself had been charged in June 2025 with "illegal taking of interest in an organized group and passive corruption".

Another former close associate of the monarch, Claude Palmero, former administrator of Crown assets, was charged in January 2026 with "breach of confidentiality of an investigation." Records concerning proceedings in which he was not a party had been discovered during a search of his home.

Claude Palmero was also charged in March, following a complaint from the princely family, with "breach of professional secrecy and invasion of privacy." This case concerns information published by the newspaper Le Monde in January 2024.

The investigation targeting Thierry Lacoste must now establish his possible responsibility in the acts of which he is accused.