| Claude Palmero | |
| Birth Date: | 1956 7, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Monaco |
| Occupation: | Accountant |
| Alma Mater: | HEC Paris Paris-Panthéon-Assas University |
Claude Palmero (born 6 July 1956 in Monaco) is a Monegasque chartered accountant and the administrator of the property of Albert II, Prince of Monaco until June 2023.[1]
Claude Palmero is the son of André Palmero, who founded the family accounting and legal and tax consulting firm in 1959 and who himself was the administrator of Prince Rainier's estate from 1980 to 2000, the year of his death. Claude Palmero is married to Josiane, professor of literature (FLE – French taught as a Foreign Language) at the Charles-III college in Monaco. He has a sister, Christiane Palmero, lawyer in Monaco.[2]
A student at the Lycée Albert Premier in Monaco, where he obtained his scientific baccalaureate when he was only 15 years old, Claude Palmero subsequently studied management at HEC Paris (1974–1977) and, at the same time, business law at the Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, where he obtained a master's degree with honors in 1980. The same year, Claude Palmero graduated in accounting management and accounting expertise.[3]
In 1977, Claude Palmero began his career with Andersen in Paris. There he acquired solid experience in auditing, organization, mergers and acquisitions and evaluation.[4]
In 1987, he returned to Monaco, where he took over the family firm which, under his leadership, experienced strong development until its merger, in September 2010, with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Today, his office employs around sixty employees. His clients include the Marzocco Group, in whose favor he will decide on the sale of Villa Bromar, in his capacity as president of the Hector-Otto foundation.[5]
In January 2001, a few days after the death of André Palmero, Rainier III appointed Claude Palmero as administrator of the sovereign family's property.
In June 2023, Claude Palmero was dismissed from his position by Albert II of Monaco[6] following an episode of the television show Complément d'enquête following in the footsteps of a crow leaking partial or falsified documents obtained by hacking of emails.[7] Two men are indicted for their supposed role in this operation to destabilize Monegasque power.[8]
Several members of the Grimaldi family decided to take legal action after an audit into the use of funds from the State of Monaco,[9] particularly in the context of real estate transactions.[10]
For his part, Claude Palmero is taking criminal action against the princely family for harassment and slander.[11] At the same time, he undertook legal steps aimed at being reinstated in his functions and "to clear his honor",[12] bringing the case before the European Court of Human Rights due to the lack of independence of Monaco's judges, who are directly appointed by the sovereign.[13]
In a series of investigative articles from Le Monde revealing the financial secrets of the principality,[14] it is presented as a bulwark against rampant corruption in Monaco, particularly in the real estate development sector, while Monaco risks being again placed on the gray list of tax havens by Moneyval.[15]
Claude Palmero is the president of the Hector-Otto Foundation, which works for needy elderly people and children in need. The foundation notably manages two establishments for the elderly, which have between 150 and 160 residents.[16]
Claude Palmero is an honorary member of the Académie européenne de philatélie, and president of the philatelic and numismatic commission of HSH the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. He is also president of the Artistic Commission and the Ecological Commission of the Prince's Palace.