He was one of five men indicted last Saturday as part of the investigation in Paris into the extortion of funds denounced by footballer Paul Pogba. But he had escaped pre-trial detention, after asking for a delay to prepare his defense before the debate before the judge of freedoms and detention (JLD). This Tuesday, this 5th suspect was finally also imprisoned, according to a judicial source.
He is one of five suspects – Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias, and four relatives of the Pogba brothers aged 27 to 36 – indicted on Saturday in this incredible case which started with a complaint filed on July 16 with the prosecutor’s office. Turin (Italy) by Paul Pogba. The 29-year-old Juventus player denounced extortion attempts between March and July 2022 amounting to 13 million euros.
But the facts only came to light with the publication on August 27 of an enigmatic video of Mathias Pogba, himself a 32-year-old professional footballer, who promised “revelations” about his brother. During his police custody, he admitted to being on the initiative, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Paul Pogba evokes a trap
He was indicted for extortion in an organized gang and participation in a criminal association and remanded in custody. For the facts of kidnapping on the night of March 19 to 20, he was placed under the more favorable status of assisted witness.
The four other suspects were indicted in particular for extortion with a weapon, kidnapping in an organized gang and criminal association and placed in pre-trial detention.
In front of the investigators, Paul Pogba said he was trapped by childhood friends and two hooded men, armed with assault rifles, accusing him of not having helped them financially. The star of the France team then claimed to have recognized his brother among the suspects. However, he had estimated, during another hearing, that Mathias was “under pressure” from people wanting to extract money from him.