Two Corsican entrepreneurs were convicted of attempted extortion of a “30-year-old friend” who had built a luxurious villa with breathtaking views of Palombaggia, considered the most beautiful Corsican beach.
THE criminal court ofAjaccio convicted two men in a case of attempted extortion linked to a land located on the beach Palombaggia. At the heart of the case, alleged pressure and threats having led to a entrepreneur and his family to hastily leave the Isle of Beautybefore filing a complaint and opening a judicial investigation.
A business relationship that falls into a climate of tension
Promising beginnings on the Côte d’Azur before setting up in Corsica
The case dates back to the early 1990s, when Jean-Philippe Benichou, owner of an industrial bakery on the Côte d’Azurestablishes links with thereal estate entrepreneur Alain Terrazzoni. The latter was introduced to Corsica, where he notably met the brothers Antoine and Paul-Noël Milanini, operators of a restaurant on Palombaggia beach.
Palombaggia is a locality located in the commune of Porto-Vecchiobetween the hamlets of Picovaggia and Bocca dell’Oro. Its white sand beaches, lined with red-tinted rocks and umbrella pines, face the Cerbicale Islands and are among the most remarkable in Corsica. © portovecchio-tourisme.corsica
A joint real estate project quickly a source of tension
In 2016, Jean-Philippe Benichou joins forces with the Milanini brothers to acquire land in Palombaggiapurchased for 2 million euros with the aim of dividing it into six plots intended to accommodate villas. He then invested 800,000 euros in the construction of his own house and moved there the same year. But a few months later, neighborhood tensions emerged between the parties, marking a turning point in their relations.
Threats, pressure and legal convictions
A climate of terror
In 2017, Alain Terrazzoni, in conjunction with Jean-Jacques Pietri, informs Jean-Philippe Benichou of supposed threats from individuals linked to Antoine Milanini. Recordings of telephone conversations, made at the initiative of Mr. Benichou, reveal pressure aimed at obtaining 500,000 euros, accompanied by invitations to sell his property without realizing any capital gain. Faced with this situation, described as “climate of threat“, there Benichou family hastily leaves Corsica by helicopter to reach Monaco, then Israel.
Legal proceedings and convictions
Two years later, in 2019, the couple filed a complaint. The instruction does not result in no charges against Antoine Milaniniwho has always denied any involvement. On the other hand, the Ajaccio criminal court sentences Alain Terrazzoni to four years in prison, including 30 months suspended on probation, as well as a fine of 50,000 euros for attempted extortion. Jean-Jacques Pietri, for his part, was found guilty of complicity and sentenced to 24 months in prison, including 16 months suspended on probation, accompanied by a fine of 20,000 euros.
The court thus followed the prosecution’s requisitions, evoking a “climate of terror” orchestrated by the main defendant and his accomplice.
© portovecchio-tourisme.corsica
