Overview

• At the opening hearing, the 36-year-old French defendant calmly acknowledged the facts before the Nice criminal court.
• He gained Boon’s trust by posing as an Irish aristocrat and yacht skipper, then set up a management company in 2021.
• Payments included about €2.2 million for yacht completion, upkeep and a bogus Samoa insurance policy, plus €4.5 million for a supposed Irish bank investment.
• When Boon sought repatriation in November 2021, the funds had been sent to accounts in Monaco or Singapore or spent on luxury goods worth over €400,000.
• Monaco has issued an international arrest warrant and opened money-laundering proceedings against the man and his ex-wife, while Boon’s lawyers reject any claim he had fiscal motives.