Days after hearing that he is free to return home to the UK after almost 12 months confined to Croatia, Jonathan Taylor has spoken to NEWS.MC about his hope that Monaco’s reputation can be healed.
“Whilst I am relieved at the Croatian Minister of Justice’s decision to overrule Croatia’s Supreme Court’s finding to extradite me to Monaco, I feel no sense of euphoria. I had the best time of my life over nine years in Monaco and I am saddened how the rightly proud Principality’s reputation has been sullied by what some may see as an overly zealous public prosecutor going after the whistleblower, whilst turning a blind eye to the perpetrators that committed the fraudulent wrongdoings at SBM Offshore which in itself publicly claims to have withdrawn its vexatious complaint against me.
“I volunteered to come to Monaco to answer any questions the Investigating Judge had for me in December last year but that initiative was rebuffed by the Prosecutor. This even though the Correctional Court has already thrown out the case against me in June 2018 for repeated breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“I trust Monaco’s reputation can start to heal again upon this matter finally being unconditionally dropped.
“I have recently unearthed evidence of another alleged illicit payment by SBM Offshore of over US$ 35 Million to an Angolan kleptocrat as sanctioned at the highest level of the company whilst in Monaco, and I would be pleased to assist the Prosecutor in investigating that matter.”