Paris prosecutor opens judicial probe into Pogba allegations

[ad_1]

Soccer Football – Premier League – Everton v Manchester United – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – April 9, 2022 Manchester United’s Paul Pogba with interim manager Ralf Rangnick as he prepares to come on as a substitute REUTERS/Phil Noble

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister

PARIS, Sept 2 (Reuters) – The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a formal judicial investigation into allegations by France midfielder Paul Pogba that he was the target of extortion attempts and threats from an organized gang, prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Friday.

The formal probe follows preliminary investigations and will look into allegations of blackmail by an armed gang, kidnapping and membership of a criminal conspiracy, Beccuau said in the statement.

Pogba, 29, has been the target of extortion by childhood friends since March and paid 100,000 euros ($99,510.00) to that group in the spring, a source close to the preliminary investigation told Reuters on Wednesday. read more

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister

Pogba, who rejoined Juventus in July after leaving Manchester United, released a statement on Sunday saying he is the victim of extortion attempts and threats from an organized gang and that authorities in Italy and France are investigating the matter.

The French prosecutor told Reuters on Monday that the initial investigations had been entrusted to the OCLCO, a unit within the judicial police tasked with organized crime. read more

($1 = 1.0049 euros)

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister

Reporting by Julien Pretot; Writing by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Ken Ferris

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[ad_2]