Extortion, accusations of witchcraft and two brothers on either side of the bar: the sensational case of the kidnapping of footballer Paul Pogba in 2022 will be the subject of a trial before the Paris Criminal Court for six men, including his brother Mathias Pogba.
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Two Parisian investigating judges ordered on Tuesday 10 September the referral to trial of Mathias Pogba and five acquaintances and close friends of Paul Pogba after two years of investigations which shook the world of football, against a backdrop of money demanded from a footballer who became a star by an entourage which remained in the shadows.
In their order, which AFP has seen, the two judges consider that these five men organized a meeting in the Paris suburbs on March 19, 2022 to ” to constrain ” the player to give them money, against the backdrop of “ old relationships of the group, tinged with financial interests “.
During a confrontation, Paul Pogba explained that he had previously helped ” voluntarily ” these relatives, including financially, but had on the other hand refused, in September 2021, to give seven million euros to three of them, before taking “ its distances “.
Some time later, on March 19, the evening began with a family dinner and then continued with a reunion with some of his ” friends ” definitely changed when the former international, suspended for four years for doping, was kidnapped and held up at night by two men who demanded 13 million euros from him.
The two judges consider that it is not This was not, as some of those under investigation have maintained, a simple “friendly” meeting but rather facts falling under criminal law. “.
Although the 13 million euros were never transferred, Paul Pogba paid the five close friends almost 250,000 euros in cash and personal effects.
During the investigation, the accused developed according to the judges ” a common position » in « claiming to be victims of the events of which Paul Pogba is a victim “, undergoing “ pressures and aggressions ” of the two designated sponsors, whom the investigation was unable to identify.
“The presence” of these two men “ is not disputed “, the judges emphasize, and “ It is plausible that they may have subsequently put pressure on the people who offered them this financial opportunity. » linked to Paul Pogba.
But ” The indicted persons did not notify the competent authorities and preferred to manage these events privately, using criminally reprehensible means. “, the magistrates deplore. One of the main accused, Roushdane K., is also said to have “ erased from evidence » useful in identifying the two mysterious men.
Also readThe Pogba brothers: the story of a relationship corrupted by money
“ Rancor »
These three childhood friends and the two former acquaintances from the neighborhood where the Pogbas grew up, in Roissy-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne), will therefore be tried mainly for extortion, kidnapping and criminal association. One of them is in detention.
In the interests of “good administration of justice”, and with “ the agreement of the civil party “, the investigating judges abandoned the criminal charges.
“ Following our detailed observations, we were hoping for a complete dismissal. We were only partially followed. We will therefore fight to convince the court to pronounce a total acquittal. ” reacted Me Saïd Harir, lawyer of Boubacar C., childhood friend of Paul.
The other lawyers in the case did not respond to AFP.
Mathias, who was absent that night and discovered the kidnapping much later, will be tried for attempted extortion and criminal association, suspected of having a posteriori ” put pressure on his brother Paul and his family to ensure payment of the sum of 13 million euros “.
The brother defended himself by saying he was afraid for his safety and that of his loved ones, then told the judges in January that he had been manipulated by the other suspects, and hoped to quickly reconcile with his younger brother.
According to the investigation, he had been feeding “ a poor opinion » from his brother and a « particular resentment, particularly concerning the management and distribution of his fortune towards the family “.
The case became public, turning into a family drama, when Mathias, also a former footballer, published videos in the summer of 2022 incriminating his younger brother, whom he accused of having “ abandoned “.
In one of these videos, he also accused the former Juventus player of having tried to bewitch his teammate in the national team Kylian Mbappé.
Also readFootball: French international Paul Pogba suspended for four years for doping