Monaco Appeals Court Upholds Conviction in Sass' Café Prostitution Case
Sass' Café and its current manager Samuel T. among those sentenced for involvement in organized prostitution.
On May 5, 2025, the Monaco Court of Appeal delivered its ruling in the high-profile prostitution case involving the Sass' Café, a well-known nightlife establishment in the Principality.
The current manager, Samuel T., also known as Samy, and former director Pascal C., who had previously been acquitted in May 2024, were sentenced to one year in prison, suspended.
Additionally, the Sass' Café as a legal entity received a fine of €18,000.
The case emerged following a Franco-Monegasque investigative team’s probe in 2020, which accused the establishment of creating an ‘institutionalized policy’ regarding the presence of sex workers at the restaurant-club located on Avenue Princesse-Grace.
The prosecution presented evidence suggesting that prostitution activities were managed via a software that categorized workers using a 'T' label, and that quotas and entry fees were established for clients.
Legal representatives for the defendants argued that their actions were merely an attempt to regulate a reality that existed within Monaco, where prostitution is not illegal.
This perspective contrasts sharply with the conviction, which reflects significant concerns regarding the operations at the Sass' Café.
In addition to the managers, three former employees were also sentenced to suspended prison terms for their involvement.
Konan Thierry D. received an 18-month suspended sentence and a €3,000 fine after admitting to locating sex workers for clients.
Jérémy C. was sentenced to 12 months with a €2,000 fine for accepting tips from sex workers, while Assia A. faced a four-month suspended sentence and a €1,000 fine for receiving €4,600 in transfers from sex workers as gifts for personal events.
Veronika M., an unrelated individual to the Sass' Café, was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined €100,000 for renting several apartments without formal leases to sex workers.
Antoine Vey, a prominent attorney for Samuel T., expressed deep concern regarding the ruling's implications, questioning why only the Sass' Café and its management were being penalized within a framework where prostitution is tolerated by Monegasque law.
Vey indicated plans to appeal the decision further, contesting both the conviction and the legal context that led to these proceedings.
The Sass' Café, established over three decades ago and previously run by Samuel T.'s father, has also expanded its operations to locations in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Current management asserts that such activities are no longer permitted at their Monaco venue.
The current manager, Samuel T., also known as Samy, and former director Pascal C., who had previously been acquitted in May 2024, were sentenced to one year in prison, suspended.
Additionally, the Sass' Café as a legal entity received a fine of €18,000.
The case emerged following a Franco-Monegasque investigative team’s probe in 2020, which accused the establishment of creating an ‘institutionalized policy’ regarding the presence of sex workers at the restaurant-club located on Avenue Princesse-Grace.
The prosecution presented evidence suggesting that prostitution activities were managed via a software that categorized workers using a 'T' label, and that quotas and entry fees were established for clients.
Legal representatives for the defendants argued that their actions were merely an attempt to regulate a reality that existed within Monaco, where prostitution is not illegal.
This perspective contrasts sharply with the conviction, which reflects significant concerns regarding the operations at the Sass' Café.
In addition to the managers, three former employees were also sentenced to suspended prison terms for their involvement.
Konan Thierry D. received an 18-month suspended sentence and a €3,000 fine after admitting to locating sex workers for clients.
Jérémy C. was sentenced to 12 months with a €2,000 fine for accepting tips from sex workers, while Assia A. faced a four-month suspended sentence and a €1,000 fine for receiving €4,600 in transfers from sex workers as gifts for personal events.
Veronika M., an unrelated individual to the Sass' Café, was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined €100,000 for renting several apartments without formal leases to sex workers.
Antoine Vey, a prominent attorney for Samuel T., expressed deep concern regarding the ruling's implications, questioning why only the Sass' Café and its management were being penalized within a framework where prostitution is tolerated by Monegasque law.
Vey indicated plans to appeal the decision further, contesting both the conviction and the legal context that led to these proceedings.
The Sass' Café, established over three decades ago and previously run by Samuel T.'s father, has also expanded its operations to locations in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Current management asserts that such activities are no longer permitted at their Monaco venue.