Hélène Pastor

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Hélène Pastor
Born31 March 1937
Monaco
Died (aged 77)
Nice, France
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
OccupationBusinesswoman
Spouse2, including Claude Pallanca
Children2, including Gildo Pallanca Pastor
ParentGildo Pastor
RelativesJean-Baptiste Pastor (paternal grandfather)
Michel Pastor (brother)
Victor Pastor (brother)
Philippe Pastor (nephew)
Patrice Pastor (nephew)
Wojciech Janowski (son-in-law)

Hélène Pastor (31 March 1937 – 21 May 2014) was a Monegasque businesswoman and heiress. She headed what is seen as Monaco’s ‘second dynasty’, and was the richest woman in the principality. She was assassinated by a gang that included her son-in-law, who was subsequently jailed for life in 2018.

Early life[edit]

Hélène Pastor was born in 1937.[1][2] Her father, Gildo Pastor, was an heir and businessman.[1][2][3][4] Her paternal grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Pastor, was an Italian builder who moved to Monaco in the 1880s.[1][2][3][4][5]

She grew up in Monaco with her two brothers, Michel Pastor and Victor Pastor.[2][4][5]

Business[edit]

She was the owner of Helene Pastor Pallanca SAM, a real estate company.[6] She owned Le Bahia and Émilie Palace in the Larvotto district,[7][8] the Trocadero,[9] Continental and Le Schuylkill apartment buildings,[10][11] and the Gildo Pastor Center in the Fontvieille district.[6][12][13] They were worth US$3.7 billion.[6]

She was the richest woman in Monaco.[14][15] Most of her wealth came from collecting rent.[6] In its obituary, The Daily Telegraph called her "the senior surviving member of what is, in effect, Monaco’s second dynasty after the ruling Grimaldis".[1] She was known in Monaco as "La Vice Princesse" (English: "The Vice Princess").[1][5]

Personal life[edit]

She was married twice.[1] With her first husband, she had a daughter, Sylvia Pastor, born in 1961,[2][6] who lived with Wojciech Janowski, a Polish-born businessman, for 28 years.[16][17]

She then married Claude Pallanca, a dentist.[1][2] They had a son, Gildo Pallanca Pastor, born in 1967.[1][2][4][6]

Assassination[edit]

On 6 May 2014, Pastor was traveling by car from the L' Archet Hospital in western Nice, France, where she had been visiting her son.[1][3][18] Minutes later, a gunman fired at her car, hitting both Pastor and her chauffeur, Mohamed Darouich.[1][3] She was rushed to the Saint Roch hospital in central Nice, and fell into a coma.[18] Darouich died from his injuries on 11 May.[19] Pastor woke up from her coma on 16 May,[20] but died five days later, on 21 May, at age 77.[2][5]

Upon her death, the Prince's Palace of Monaco released a statement saying, "HSH the Prince expresses his deep compassion to the children of Mrs Hélène Pastor-Pallanca at the announcement of her tragic passing."[4] Her funeral was attended by Albert II, Prince of Monaco.[16]

Christian Estrosi, the Mayor of Nice, released the following statement, "My thoughts go out to Gildo, Hélène Pastor’s son, as well as all of her relatives. I share their pain and grief. My thoughts also go out to all the Monégasques who were devastated by this tragedy."[4][21]

In June 2014, her son-in-law, Wojciech Janowski, admitted to being involved with her assassination.[16] In 2017, Janowski and nine more individuals, including fitness trainer Pascal Dauriac and his brother-in-law Abdelkader Belkhatir, were summoned to court over for a trial.[22][23] On 17 October 2018, Janowski was sentenced to life in prison.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Hélène Pastor- obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Marie-Pierre Grondahl, L'héritière est décédée: Qui en veut aux Pastor?, Paris Match, 21 May 2014
  3. ^ a b c d Hélène Constanty, Nice: Hélène Pastor, héritière d'un empire de béton, est morte, L'Express, 5 November 2013
  4. ^ a b c d e f Hélène Pastor dies from shooting Archived 13 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Riviera Times, 21 May 2014
  5. ^ a b c d Kim Willsher, Monaco heiress dies from her injuries after mysterious ambush by gunmen, The Guardian, 22 May 2014
  6. ^ a b c d e f Tom Metcalf, Monaco Murders Reveal Six Hidden Real Estate Billionaires, Bloomberg, 18 October 2014
  7. ^ Emporis: Le Bahia
  8. ^ Emporis: Émilie Palace
  9. ^ Emporis: Trocadero
  10. ^ Emporis: Continental
  11. ^ Emporis: Le Schuylkill
  12. ^ Emporis: Gildo Pastor Center
  13. ^ Olivier Toscer, Hélène Pastor : les secrets de famille de la "vice-princesse" de Monaco, Le Nouvel Observateur, 21 May 2014
  14. ^ Mark Seal, Murder Made in Monaco, Vanity Fair, November 2014
  15. ^ Obituaries: Hélène Pastor, The Times, 3 June 2014
  16. ^ a b c Samuel, Henry (27 June 2014). "Monaco heiress' son-in-law admits to 'involvement' in her murder". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  17. ^ Willsher, Kim (27 June 2014). "Monaco billionaire's son-in-law accused of ordering her murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  18. ^ a b Prominent Monaco figure shot in Nice Archived 13 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Riviera Times, 7 May 2014
  19. ^ a b "Hélène Pastor murder: Polish son-in-law sentenced to life". BBC News. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  20. ^ Helene Pastor's health improves Archived 13 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Riviera Times, 19 May 2014
  21. ^ Décès d'Hélène Pastor: Christian Estrosi exprime "sa grande tristesse", Nice-Matin, 21 May 2014
  22. ^ Mickiewicz, Juliette (22 February 2017). "Assassinat d'Hélène Pastor: dix accusés dont le gendre renvoyés devant les assises". Le Figaro. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Affaire Pastor: dix accusés renvoyés devant la cour d'assises". Nice Matin. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
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