Contact Admin. Over the next ten days Geneva's Palais de Justice courtroom will be the stage for the highly mediatised trial. Four years after renowned French financier Edouard Stern was found shot dead in his Geneva home, the trial of the woman accused of his killing has opened in the city. In fact, it has already resulted in two books about the investigation, a novel, a play and a film. Stern's employees discovered their boss dead in his Geneva penthouse apartment on March 1, Among initial lines of investigation the police looked into the possible involvement of the Russian mafia, particularly after Stern's recent deals in eastern Europe and his reputation as a tough businessman.
But it didn't take too long for the police to identify the suspect: During investigations she admitted to shooting him and three guns were later fished out of Lake Geneva, near the town of Montreux.
Stern joined the family firm, Bank Stern in Paris, in as administrator at the age of He then immediately seized control of the business, which he sold in He later joined the private investment bank Lazard, where he was once tipped to succeed his father-in-law, Michel David-Weill, as chairman.
But he quit the bank in to set up his own private equity firm, Investment Real Returns IRR Capital, in Geneva after reports of clashes with other partners and a dispute with David-Weill. She enjoyed sculpting, painting and writing poetry. According to her lawyer, Stern flew her on his private jet to exotic holiday destinations, including hunting trips in Africa. Although the identity of the murderer seems fairly certain, the motives remain unclear.
Her lawyer, Pascal Maurer, said the homicide was a result of a "difficult amorous relationship, psychological manipulation and harassment that little by little led to serious depression and distress". Her defence team said the French banker was a very charming, intelligent, cultured, funny man but had complicated relations with people, most probably because of an unhappy childhood based on domination, power and money.
