Mathias presented himself to detectives on Wednesday afternoon after being summoned for questioning.
Mathias Pogba, the elder brother of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, has been detained by French police officers on suspicion of taking part in the scheme to blackmail the Juventus player.
Mathias presented himself to detectives on Wednesday afternoon after being summoned for questioning, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. He has now been taken into detention.
What happened?
Pogba is said to have been escorted at gunpoint to a flat in the eastern Paris suburb of Roissy-en-Brie, handing over €100,000 (£85,000) to the gunmen at that time.
The midfielder claimed that when he initially started playing professionally at the age of 16, he was required to pay ‘protection money’ of €1 million (£860,000) a year, an amount that now totals €13 million (£11.2 million).
It’s said that Pogba tried to withdraw the entire sum at first, but his bank denied him permission. Instead, the 29-year-old paid £85,000 to the gang but filed a criminal complaint after the group continued to press for more money.
What did the Police say?
In response to Pogba’s accusations, French prosecutors launched a judicial investigation earlier this month.
« Based on the findings of the preliminary investigation, the Paris prosecutor’s office launched a judicial investigation today relating to allegations against persons unknown, including blackmail by an armed gang, kidnapping or kidnapping with a release before the seventh day to prepare or facilitate the commission of a crime or an offence, and membership of a criminal conspiracy, » an official statement read.
What has Mathias Pogba said so far?
« All of Paul’s statements, from the hearing at the start of August – before my videos – to the response from his lawyers and the responses, from his supporters, are only intended to drag my name through the mud, » Mathias said in a TikTok video in August.
« So I’m asking myself – why rush to affirm that what I had to say concerned just witchcraft? »
« Because it would be difficult to talk about the so-called blackmail in this case? So wouldn’t it be better to hammer home that the big brother is just a jealous, money-grabbing person, ready to do anything to discredit before he speaks?
« Isn’t that what all false accounts in my name are all about? No, we don’t accept conspiracies here. »
The 32-year-old is also a footballer who have spent most of his playing career with lower-league teams in England and other European countries.
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