Monaco Heiress Dies After "Mob Hit" on the Riviera
By Ed Scarpo Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Helen Pastor died today.
REVISED: Hélène Pastor, 77, who was known to be close to Monaco's Royal family, died this morning following the brutal May 6 attack in Nice on her and her chauffeur/right-hand man who died four days after the shooting.
The two were shot outside the L'Archet Hospital in the south of France.
Pastor died this morning from injuries. Although she awoke from an induced coma several days ago, her condition deteriorated overnight.
A report in Le Figaro said investigators suspected that one of Italy's Mafias, either the Ndrangheta or the Camorra, was behind the attack.
Both crime gangs are said to be building property portfolios on the French Riviera as they seek to expand their foothold. Detectives believe the Mafia was trying to muscle in on the Pastor family's holdings, which include buildings worth billions in the area.
Pastor, the sister of Michel Pastor, the former chairman of AS Monaco football club who died in February, had suffered serious wounds to the face, neck, chest and abdomen.
The Pastor family has a huge portfolio of property and land, part of a larger dynasty established by her grandfather.
Scene of the May 6 shooting.
According to Monaco Life a man was arrested in Marseille the week after the shooting. He had demanded money from the Pastor family in exchange for information about the attack.
The suspect is said to have telephoned the family claiming to know the identities of the gunmen.
The "would-be extortionist" will appear in court today or soon thereafter.
The Mail Online reported of the hit: In a classic Mafia-style hit, [a single gunman] shot both Mrs Pastor and her chauffeur in the head and stomach with a pump-action shotgun through their car window.
Following the attack, the hit man jumped into a waiting getaway car driven by another man, and then sped off. A witness said: "I saw the gunman turn back towards me with his big gun and a bag. I thought he was coming for me. I was terrified for my life."
French MP Eric Ciotti expressed his "extreme shock" at the double assassination, while Prince Albert II of Monaco issued a statement expressing "deep support" for the Pastor family.
The Marseille prosecutor has now opened a judicial enquiry into the double murder, parts of which were captured on CCTV.
"We are studying frozen images of the attack in an attempt to identify the attackers, and witnesses," said an investigating source. He said that an alleged blackmailer had been contacting the Pastor family, and was currently undergoing "psychiatric tests."
The source said: "He claims to know the background to the attack, but his version may be based on what he has seen in the media."
Mrs Pastor's grandfather was an Italian immigrant who developed a large part of Monaco before handing his business over to her father, Gildo Pastor. The principality is a tax haven regularly linked with organised crime gangs, as well as prominent individuals who want to keep the source of their wealth a closely guarded secret."
Camorra Ndrangheta
JB May 25, 2014, 11:18:00 AM
I dont have a problem with different families shooting each other or shacking down illegal bussinesses or dealers if a arraingement cant be worked out for everybody to make money in fact i encourage nobodys gonna miss us except for family but when innocent people get killed then i got teal problem with that enougj daid on that.