Another student of the International University of Monaco has grabbed headlines. The student in question, a young Frenchman, stood trial in the Principality’s Palace of Justice on Tuesday, February 13, facing charges of driving while drunk and on drugs.
The defendant was spotted driving in an erratic manner at around 3:30 on the morning of Thursday, October 19. Once controlled by the police, he was immediately arrested and subsequently tested for narcotics.
Having tested positive for cannabis, the defendant argued that this result was due to passive smoke inhaled on a trip to Spain.
While it is possible to test positive for cannabis without having personally smoked it, the involvement of alcohol in this case was much more clear cut.
According to local media present at the trail, the student defendant had gone to the Sass Café on the night in question, before driving to a friend’s house after consuming champagne, cocktails and shots. The defendant said that he tried to call a taxi but there was no answer, so he took his car instead.
To make matters worse, the defendant was driving at speeds in excess of 90 km/h in a 50 zone with three passengers on board.
This incident no doubt brings to mind the tragic death of two IUM students following a horrific car crash just before Christmas in 2023, which the prosecutor and judge both brought up as an example of the dangers of drunk-driving.
However, the tragic double-fatality incident occurred two months after the defendant had been controlled, so he couldn’t have possibly taken it into account.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office therefore demanded 15 days in prison with a suspended sentence, a 500 euro fine and the suspension of his driving licence for one year, along with the entry of this conviction on his criminal record.
After a successful argument that the defendant does not come from wealth and that he dreams of making a future for himself in the finance sector of Monaco, the court granted an exemption from a criminal record.
