A Paris court, on Thursday, sentenced Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias, to three years in prison after being found guilty of attempted extortion against the former Manchester United midfielder.
Mathias Pogba 34, who played for Wrexham, Crewe, Crawley Town and Guinea’s national team, was one of six defendants who stood trial after being accused of trying to extort €13m (£10.7m) from his younger brother.
The court also fined Pogba’s brother €20,000 for participating in the attempted extortion from Pogba in 2022, and for mounting pressure on the player, his family and his business contacts to obtain the payment.
The French court pronounced a three-year, with two years suspended, and he must serve the remaining one year of his sentence with an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars.
Suspended sentences are custodial sentences where the offender does not have to go to prison provided that they commit no further offences and comply with any requirements imposed.
Paul Pogba, 31, told French investigators that in March 2022 he was kidnapped and held at gunpoint by two hooded men who demanded that he paid €13m for ‘protection services’.
According to Pogba, he paid the men €100,000 (£82,500) but was then repeatedly pressured to pay more money by his brother and associates.
He said the incidents occurred at three different locations including France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, his home in Manchester and at Juventus’ training ground in Italy.
Mathias, who is his elder, denied being part of the kidnap plot but was found guilty of ‘committed pressure against his brother Paul and his family in order to ensure payment of the sum of €13m’.
The five other defendants, who are childhood friends or acquaintances of Paul Pogba, were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention as well as participation in a criminal conspiracy.
They were subsequently sentenced to prison terms of up to eight years and fines ranging from €20,000 to €40,000 (£16,500 to £33,000).
Maitre Mbeko Tabula, the lawyer representing Mathias, at the end of the hearing said, “It is an extremely harsh decision that does not correspond to our expectations.
“I will speak with Mathias but I think we will appeal. The decision does not correspond at all to the reality of this case and to Mathias’ intentions towards Paul.
“He is obviously in shock. From the beginning he has proclaimed his innocence. He says he was manipulated, coerced, that he was put under pressure. That he would never have acted in a negative way towards his brother.
“We did not take into consideration his vulnerability, the fact that he was forced to do things regardless of his will. We are denying him this reality, which is why we are condemning him.
‘[There is] No jealousy, no resentment. Disagreements between brothers like that happen everywhere.”