The requisitions have been issued and they are severe. On Wednesday, December 4, the prosecution requested prison sentences against the five childhood friends of Paul Pogba, who have been appearing since November 25 before the Paris court for extortion, attempted extortion, participation in a criminal association and sequestration. He also demanded three years of detention, including one firm, against the footballer’s big brother, Mathias. On the night of March 19 to 20, 2022, the French international was held in an apartment in Montévrain (Seine-et-Marne), where he was threatened by two heavily armed men who demanded 13 million euros from him.
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For the prosecution, there is no doubt that the ambush was carefully orchestrated to scare the player and extort a large sum of money from him. The two prosecutors built their argument on a single question: how could a brother and childhood friends have joined forces to set up this trap, which saw the midfielder locked up for several hours, phone confiscated, and threatened he was not paying a ransom demanded in the name of alleged past protection? The answer is, in their eyes, simple: the financial dependence of the defendants on Paul Pogba, whose career exploded and who became extremely wealthy, and his gradual distancing.
The prosecution first returned to the financial situation of each person to prove their “impecuniosity” : without income, everyone had become accustomed to donations from a very generous relative. “Paul Pogba doesn’t know how to say no and is used to making large donations”recalled the prosecution. But the defendants pulled on the rope too much, constantly demanding new payments. During 2021, the footballer has had enough. He stops his payments, including to his eldest child. From then on, they would have nourished their resentment until they staged this attack, each playing a specific role.
“He believes in their story”
Boubacar A., the “almost brother” The player is responsible for luring him to Roissy-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne), to his parents, for an evening with friends. He will make sure to always stay by her side – even after the famous night. Mohamed K. must take care of the apartment and wait for the gang there. Mamadou M. is responsible for transmitting organizational instructions, while Adama C. maintains the mobilization of the group and is responsible for acting as the financial intermediary. Finally, Roushdane K. recruits the two armed men who opportunely appear in Montévrain to lend credibility to the threat.
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