As reported by Monaco Matin, the criminal court in Monaco has found former Minister of State Serge Telle guilty over the serious accident that occurred during the 2019 edition of the No Finish Line charity race, when a participant was violently swept away by a wave on the Fontvieille seawall….
The verdict was delivered quietly on Tuesday afternoon, moments before another high-profile trial began, but it marked a significant judicial decision. The court ruled that Serge Telle, the Children & Future association, and Philippe Verdier, founder of No Finish Line, all bore criminal responsibility for involuntary injury. The accident occurred on November 23, 2019, at 2:28 p.m., when a powerful wave crashed over the eastern breakwater, injuring several participants and seriously harming a runner who was thrown over the harbour railing.
Serge Telle was sentenced to two months’ suspended imprisonment and fined €5,000. Judges criticised what they described as an “extreme recklessness” in his decision to reopen the seawall shortly after midday, despite earlier closures ordered by state services due to dangerous weather forecasts. Although sea conditions appeared calm at the time, the court found that the risks had been underestimated and that safety measures were insufficiently enforced.
Philippe Verdier received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a €9,000 fine, with the court highlighting failures in safety planning, the absence of a dedicated monitoring committee, and the disregard of wave and weather data. Children & Future was fined €8,000, suspended, with judges acknowledging the association’s humanitarian mission while condemning serious organisational shortcomings.
In civil proceedings, the victim was awarded €20,000 as an interim payment, pending a further medical assessment. The possibility of appeals remains open.
