Five people charged in burglary of Formula One champion’s Swiss home

Prost was robbed at his home in the western Swiss town of Nyon last May. Keystone-SDA

Five people have been charged with organised gang robbery and unlawful detention following their arrest in France in connection with the violent burglary suffered by Formula One champion Alain Prost at his home in Nyon, western Switzerland, the public prosecutor in Pontoise announced on Monday.

“Three adults aged between 22 and 21 and two minors aged 17 and 16” were arrested on July 1, the prosecutor stated in a press release, confirming a report by France Info.

They have been charged with “armed robbery as part of an organised gang”, “detention, abduction and false imprisonment as part of an organised gang to facilitate a crime” and “criminal conspiracy”, according to the prosecutor’s statement.

Prost, a 71-year-old French four-time Formula One world champion, had sustained minor injuries during the burglary in Nyon on May 19.

The perpetrators had taken the contents of the safe, notably “luxury watches”, the Pontoise public prosecutor stated, and had then fled towards France.

The three adults have been remanded in custody and the other two, who are minors, have been placed under judicial supervision. The investigation was conducted by the Versailles Criminal Investigation Department and the Gendarmerie’s National Judicial Police Unit, as the burglars were identified as having links to the Val d’Oise region. They face up to 30 years’ imprisonment.

Translated from French/sub-editing gw