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Helene Pastor son-in-law Wojciech Janowski has retracted his “confession” to ordering the Monaco heiress murder, citing misunderstandings with police.
Prosecutors said last week that Wojciech Janowski had “recognized his involvement” in Helene Pastor’s death.
However, Wojciech Janowski, Poland’s ex-honorary consul in Monaco, told a bail judge he denied having ordered the killing.
Helene Pastor, from one of Monaco’s richest families, was shot along with her driver in Nice.
They were ambushed by a man with a sawn-off shotgun on May 6 as Helene Pastor, 77, was leaving hospital after visiting her son.
Her chauffeur Mohammed Darwich, 64, also died from injuries sustained in the attack.
Wojciech Janowski and Helene Pastor’s daughter, Sylvia, have been in a relationship for 28 years and have a teenage daughter (photo Getty Images)
Wojciech Janowski was arrested early last week along with his wife Sylvia Pastor, but she was released shortly afterwards.
The two have been in a relationship for 28 years and have a teenage daughter.
The prosecution alleges that Wojciech Janowski paid two hitmen 250,000 euros ($340,000) to carry out the killing in order to “lay his hands on the inheritance” of his common-law wife.
The two men, a 31-year-old and a 24-year-old originally from the Comoros islands, were also apprehended last week and charged.
Wojciech Janowski’s personal trainer was also charged with allegedly organizing the murder and acting as a go-between with the men.
At a news conference last week, prosecutors told journalists that Wojciech Janowski had confessed his involvement after being detained.
His lawyer, Erick Campana, said he had withdrawn statements made while in custody because he “misunderstood the meanings of the terms used by police”.
He added that police had been speaking in French and Wojciech Janowski “does not understand all the nuances of our language”.
Erick Campana also said he would be demanding that an appeal court nullify his client’s detention because he did not have access to a lawyer or interpreter during his 96 hours in custody.
Helene Pastor’s father, Gildo, became one of Monaco’s wealthiest men when Prince Rainier gave him permission in 1966 to build high-rise buildings along the seafront.
Her income was derived from owning several prestige properties and she rarely left her luxury home in Monaco. Prince Albert II attended her funeral.
A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Wojciech Janowski is the boss of a Monaco technology firm and an oil business, and is involved in numerous charities in the principality.
Poland’s former honorary consul in Monaco Wojciech Janowski is being formally investigated over the murder of his wealthy mother-in-law, heiress Helene Pastor, French prosecutors say.
Wojciech Janowski, 64, had “recognized his involvement” in the killing of Helene Pastor, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said earlier.
Helene Pastor, from one of Monaco’s richest families, was shot along with her driver as she left hospital in Nice.
Wojciech Janowski’s wife Sylvia was also detained but released without charge.
Seven other suspects from a total of 23 detained in the French cities of Nice, Marseille and Rennes were placed under investigation on Friday.
Among them was the Pastor family sports instructor, Pascal Dauriac.
Poland’s former honorary consul in Monaco Wojciech Janowski is being formally investigated over the murder of his mother-in-law Helene Pastor
Both Helene Pastor, 77, and her chauffeur Mohammed Darwich, 64, were deadly wounded when a man with a sawn-off shotgun ambushed their car on May 6 as it was leaving the hospital where she had been visiting her son.
The prosecution alleges that Wojciech Janowski paid hit men to carry out the killing.
Brice Robin said Wojciech Janowski’s motive was to “lay his hands on the inheritance” of his common-law wife.
Wojciech Janowski spent 250,000 euros ($340,000) to contract the killing, the prosecutor said.
He announced earlier that Wojciech Janowski’s bank account had seen suspicious financial flows which needed explanation.
Poland dismissed Wojciech Janowski, a Cambridge-educated businessman, from his post as honorary consul after his arrest because of the “loss of his good reputation and trustworthiness”.
Two suspects in the shooting were identified after police studied DNA evidence and CCTV footage from the area on May 6, prosecutors say.
They were described as aged 24 and 31, originally being from the Comoros islands, and having a string of criminal convictions.
Video from railway stations and elsewhere showed that the two men had taken a train from Marseille to Nice on the afternoon of the shooting, gone to a hotel, and then made their way to the scene of the shooting, prosecutors say.
French media had earlier reported they had spent 500 euros ($680) on a taxi back to Marseille afterwards.
Sylvia Pastor, the dead woman’s eldest daughter, was released on Wednesday night.
Reports say Sylvia Pastor and Wojciech Janowski have been together for 28 years and have a teenage daughter.
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French police have detained 23 people in relation with the killing of Monaco heiress Helene Pastor last month, including her daughter and son-in-law.
Helene Pastor, from one of Monaco’s richest families, was ambushed by a man armed with a shotgun as she left hospital in the French city of Nice.
Her chauffeur, Mohamed Darwich, 64, also died of his wounds.
Sylvia Pastor, 52, and her husband, Poland’s honorary consul to Monaco Wojciech Janowski, were among those detained in Nice, Marseille and Rennes.
Helene Pastor was one of the wealthiest women in Europe
Wojciech Janowski’s bank account had seen suspicious financial flows which needed explanation, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin told reporters on Tuesday. There were also apparent links with two intermediaries who had been in direct contact with two suspects in the shooting.
The two men were traced after police studied DNA evidence and CCTV footage from the area on May 6, he said. The pair were described as aged 24 and 31, originally from the Comoros islands, and having a string of criminal convictions.
Video from railway stations and elsewhere showed that the two men had taken a train from Marseille to Nice on the afternoon of the shooting, gone to a hotel, and then made their way to the scene of the shooting, he said. French media had earlier reported they had spent 500 euros ($680) on a taxi back to Marseille afterwards.
The shots from the sawn-off shotgun were fired through the window of the car, hitting Helene Pastor, 77, in the face and throat. She eventually died on May 21.
Helene Pastor’s father, Gildo, became one of Monaco’s wealthiest men when Prince Rainier gave him permission in 1966 to build high-rise buildings along the sea front, AFP news agency reports. Prince Albert II attended her funeral.
Helene Pastor rarely left her luxury home in Monaco and had just visited her son in hospital when she was shot, reports say. Her income was derived from owning several prestige properties.
The family’s lawyer in Paris refused to comment on the arrest of her daughter and son-in-law.
