Mathias Pogba ‘placed under formal investigation’ over alleged extortion attempt on his brother Paul
Mathias Pogba, the brother of France international Paul Pogba, has reportedly been placed under formal investigation and ordered to be detained in connection with an extortion case targeting the former Manchester United midfielder.
He is being investigated on suspicion of gang-based extortion and participation in a criminal association, a judicial source has told Reuters.
Four other people who appeared along with Mathias Pogba before a judge on Saturday were also put under formal investigation, with three were ordered to be detained.
Mathias has denied the allegations against him in statements posted on social media.
Earlier this month the Paris prosecutor’s office opened a judicial probe into allegations by Paul Pogba that he was the target of extortion attempts and threats from an organised gang.
Paul, 29, told the Paris prosecution office that he had been the target of extortion by childhood friends since March and had paid £85,000 (€100,000) to that group in the spring, judicial sources told Reuters this month.
Franceinfo radio claimed that the group, armed with MI6 assault rifles, demanded £11million (€13m) from the French midfielder for ‘protection services’ stretching back 13 years.
Mathias Pogba (left) has reportedly been placed under formal investigation and ordered to be detained in connection with an extortion case targeting his brother Paul (right)
The World Cup winner claims the gang has been threatening him for four months. Acts of intimidation were carried out in Manchester in April, and later around the Italian city of Turin, where Pogba currently plays for Juventus.
The gang is also said to have taken Paul to flat in the Paris suburb of Lagny-sur-Marne, where he grew up, at the end of March. There, the gang members accused the 29-year-old of not helping them financially since he became a professional player.
The initial investigations had been entrusted to the OCLCO, a unit within the judicial police tasked with investigating organised crime.
The extraordinary saga began last month when Paul’s eldest brother Mathias released a video on social media, vowing he would soon make a series of ‘great revelations’ about the World Cup winner.
He said during the video: ‘The French, English, Italian and Spanish public, as well as my brother’s fans — and even more so the French team and Juventus, my brother’s teammates and his sponsors — deserve to know certain things.
Paul Pogba (left) responded to his brother Mathias’ bizarre videos on social media by revealing he was a target of an £11million extortion from a gang
‘In order to make an informed decision if he deserves the admiration, respect and love of the public.
‘Whether he deserves his place in the French team and the honour of playing in the World Cup. If he deserves to be a starter at Juventus.
‘If he is a trustworthy person, that any player would want to have at his side.’
Soon after the post was made, the Juventus midfielder released a statement – signed by his lawyers, his mother Yeo Moriba and current agent Rafaela Pimenta – admitting that Mathias’ videos were ‘unfortunately no surprise’.
The statement read: ‘They (the videos) are in addition to threats and extortion attempts by an organised gang against Paul Pogba.’
‘The competent bodies in Italy and France were informed a month ago and there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation.’
Mathias Pogba, 32, is also a football player, who had spells in British football at Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra, Crawley Town and Partick Thistle.
Mathias has previously insisted that he is ‘a complete stranger’ to any extortion attempt against his brother, says his lawyer Richard Arbib.
There was also claim Paul had used a witch doctor to cast a spell on Mbappe, something he denies, and said was made up to discredit him.