The head of Monaco’s judicial services, Laurent Anselmi, has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs to replace Gilles Tonelli, who is due to retire. Mr Anselmi will in turn be replaced by Robert Gelli, a French prosecutor at the Aix-en-Provence appeals court in southern France.

Earlier this year Mr Anselmi had blocked the reappointment of Edouard Levrault as a judge in Monaco. According to a report by France 24, Anselmi had unexpectedly turned down Levrault’s request for a renewal of his three-year term in June, leading to concern about the independence of the justice system in Monaco.

According to a statement from the Palace on Tuesday, September 24, Prince Albert’s decision to replace the justice chief “reaffirmed his commitment to an independent and impartial justice system.”

Levrault, the French judge serving in Monaco under the terms of a long-standing agreement between the Principality and France, had been investigating a corruption case involving Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev. Rybolovlev, the majority owner of AS Monaco soccer team, was detained on November 6 last year in Monaco on suspicion of corruption and influence peddling, but released under judicial supervision.

ORIGINAL SOURCES: en.crimerussia.com, France 24, and local sources PHOTO: New director of judicial services Robert Gelli

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