Investigators have placed the 42-year-old suspect near the scene where Prince Albert’s cousin was found dead
A Ukrainian man living in Monaco has been charged in connection with the death of Antoine de Massy, a relative of Prince Albert II, the ruler of the wealthy European principality.
The 42-year-old suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, has reportedly lived in Monaco for three decades. Prosecutor General Stephane Thibault announced a judicial investigation on Wednesday.
According to local media, the Ukrainian national has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and failure to assist a person in danger. He denies wrongdoing and has been remanded in custody.
De Massy, 29, whose father is a first cousin of Prince Albert II, was found dead on Sunday evening after apparently falling approximately 13 meters from an elevated section of the coastal Boulevard du Larvotto into a garden behind a luxury residence.
The former competitive tennis player was reportedly last seen alive overnight Saturday into Sunday, leaving a nightclub apparently intoxicated and accompanied by another man. His family alerted authorities when he failed to attend a gathering, triggering a search that led to the discovery of his body in the secluded garden.
Thibault said CCTV footage showed the suspect accompanying de Massy along Boulevard du Larvotto. The Ukrainian national was arrested on Monday, although it remains unclear whether he was the man who reportedly left the nightclub with the victim.
Earlier this year, Monaco, known as a haven for millionaires, was rocked by a bombing targeting Ukrainian-born businessman Vadim Ermolaev, who was injured alongside members of his family.
The alleged bomber was identified as a Ukrainian woman who was later found dead in her home country, reportedly killed by her handlers. Investigators identified the suspected masterminds as an active operative of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, and an unofficial agent of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Both are now in Ukrainian custody.
Kiev portrayed the bombing as a profit-driven crime carried out by rogue agents. However, one suspect claimed the operation had been authorized by the Ukrainian state as a legitimate act of war against Russia.
The case resurfaced this week when former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the Monaco bombing “echoed” an alleged Ukrainian intelligence plot against him that Austrian law enforcement had thwarted.
Kravchenko fled Ukraine for Vienna last month and was subsequently dismissed by parliament after a subordinate was accused of running a protection racket on his behalf. The Austrian authorities confirmed the arrests of suspected Ukrainian intelligence operatives in early October.
