Mathias Pogba, the brother of World Cup winner Paul Pogba, has been sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, after being found guilty of extortion and kidnapping. A Paris criminal court handed down the sentence on Thursday, which comes after a highly publicized legal battle involving his brother.
Mathias, who has already spent time in detention, will serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest with electronic monitoring. His lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, stated that Mathias was “in shock” following the ruling, maintaining his innocence throughout the trial. Tabula argued that his client had been manipulated and forced into committing the crimes.
The case stems from an incident in March 2022 when Paul Pogba, the France international footballer, was held at gunpoint by a group of hooded men. The group, including Mathias, demanded €13 million from the Juventus star, claiming that he owed them support after rising to fame. They were charged with extortion, abduction, confinement, and criminal conspiracy.
The investigation revealed that Paul paid €100,000 to the group, including his brother, to appease their demands. Roushdane K., accused of orchestrating the blackmail scheme, was sentenced to eight years in prison, with others involved also receiving various jail terms.
The court determined that Paul suffered both financial losses of €197,000 and moral damages of €50,000, which the defendants (except Mathias) were ordered to jointly pay.
The case became widely known when Mathias Pogba posted online threats, claiming he would release “explosive” information about his brother, Kylian Mbappé, and Paul’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta.
Although Mathias Pogba has denied the charges, his sentence has marked a significant chapter in the ongoing saga involving the Pogba family. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba is navigating his own challenges, including a suspension due to a failed drug test, but he is expected to return to football in March following a mutual agreement with Juventus to cancel his contract.
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