Brother of footballer Paul Pogba jailed over extortion and kidnapping plot
Mathias Pogba was convicted over his role in a conspiracy to extort money from his more famous brother.
One of footballer Paul Pogba’s brothers has been sentenced by a Paris criminal court to three years in prison – two of which are suspended – in an extortion and kidnapping case.
Mathias Pogba had already spent time in detention and the remainder of the sentence will be served under house arrest with electronic monitoring.
This sentence is in line with the prosecution’s request. His lawyer said he would appeal the ruling.
The case at the Paris criminal court took place on Thursday without the former Manchester United and Juventus player.
A judge had ordered Mathias Pogba and five other men to stand trial following an investigation into whether the footballer was the target of extortion by his brother Mathias and childhood friends in 2022.
Mathias Pogba went on trial last month “for the offences of attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy”.
The five others, identified by their first names only, demanded 13 million euros (£10.75 million) from the France midfielder, who was held up at gunpoint by hooded men in March 2022.
The defendants repeatedly intimidated Paul Pogba, claiming he should have supported them after he became an international soccer star.
They were accused of extortion, abduction and confinement to facilitate a crime, as well as criminal conspiracy.
Roushdane K, suspected of masterminding the blackmail, was sentenced to eight years in prison. The others also received jail terms.
According to reports in French media, the court also found that Paul Pogba had suffered economic losses of 197,000 euros (£162,800) and moral losses of 50,000 euros (£41,300).
It ordered all the defendants except Mathias Pogba to jointly pay this sum to the former Juventus player.
During the investigation, Paul Pogba said he paid 100,000 euros (£82,600) to the organized group including his brother.
The case became public after Mathias Pogba posted threats on social media to share “explosive” revelations about his brother, fellow French star Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta.
Mathias Pogba was also a footballer who spent most of his career with lower-tier teams in Europe.
Once one of the world’s top midfielders, Paul Pogba has made the headlines in recent years more often for his off-field problems than for his sporting ability.
Paul Pogba has another brother, Florentin, who is also a professional footballer.
Earlier this month, Juventus said it came to “a mutual agreement” with Paul Pogba to cancel his contract despite the France World Cup winner having a four-year ban for doping slashed last month.
