In the resounding affair of the kidnapping of French footballer Paul Pogba, his brother Mathias and five of his childhood friends were sentenced Thursday, December 19 to sentences of up to eight years in prison by the Paris Criminal Court. Mathias Pogba did not react to the statement of his sentence: three years in prison, two of which were suspended, for attempted extortion and participation in a criminal association.
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The big brother of Paul Pogba will not go behind bars: he will be able to serve his 12 months in prison at home under an electronic bracelet. The court also fined him 20,000 euros. “ Mathias is in shock “, declared his lawyer as he left the courtroom. “ We did not take into consideration his vulnerability, we did not take into account the fact that he was manipulated, that he was forced to do things independently of his will. », lamented Me Tabula Mbeko.
A very media trial
The other defendants in this highly publicized trial all received prison sentences of up to eight years and fines of 20 to 40,000 euros, found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention as well as for participation in an association of criminals. Only the charge of kidnapping was not retained as suggested by the public prosecutor.
Roushdane K., considered the mastermind of the affair and who appeared detained, was sentenced to eight years. Adama C. was sentenced to five years in prison with a committal warrant. One of the footballer’s closest childhood friends left the room handcuffed and escorted by police officers. Mamadou M. received five years of imprisonment, 12 months of which were suspended. Finally, Machikour K. and Boubacar C. were sentenced to four years in prison, two years suspended for one and three years suspended for the other.
The court also recognized economic damage of 197,000 euros and moral damage of 50,000 euros towards Paul Pogba. Most defense lawyers have indicated their intention to appeal.
The “Pogba affair” started on the night of March 19 to 20, 2022 with an ambush set up against Paul Pogba in an apartment in Montévrain (Seine-et-Marne). Two hooded men held him up at gunpoint with the aim of extracting 13 million euros from the midfielder, who was playing at Manchester United and then Juventus Turin at the time. The affair came to light after the broadcast of videos on social networks in August 2022 by Mathias Pogba in which the latter accused Paul of having marabouted Kylian Mbappé.
During the trial, the defendants all denied their involvement and described having themselves been victims of attacks during the months following the kidnapping. One of them, Roushdane K., said he was shot at point-blank range in one hand, so that he would say “ the pressure on Paul » who didn’t pay.
Arguments which did not convince the public prosecutor. “ How can a brother and friends come together to recover extraordinary sums from one of the most precious people in their lives? », asked one of the prosecutors.
The generosity of Paul Pogba
During their indictment, the prosecutors mentioned the generosity of Paul Pogba, “ the friend who succeeded » and who finances the purchase of the restaurant of two defendants, makes transfers of several thousand euros, or even offers 100,000 euros to each of his close friends and his brothers for their birthday. “ You have created a situation of financial dependence for him » which has « damaged your friendship “, denounced the public prosecutor.
Another central argument of the defense: an investigation and a trial carried out against it, based according to it solely on the statements of Paul Pogba who did not attend the hearings.
“ Childhood friends were thrown out to pasture under the pretext that if Paul says something, it’s true… », Regretted Me Karim Morand-Lahouazi, lawyer for Adama C.
The defense lawyers described at length the childhood of the kids who grew up together in the Cité de la Renardière in Roissy-en-Brie, a large suburb of Paris, until the departure of the footballer, called for an international career. Friends who easily admitted to having benefited from Paul’s largesse. “ Does that make them criminals? » asked Mr. Saïd Harir. “ No, it’s a fair return of things. In the 6th arrondissement, we call it networking! » explained the advice of Boubacar C.