Mathias Pogba, the older brother of World Cup champion Paul Pogba, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a Paris court, with two years of the sentence suspended in connection with a high-profile extortion and kidnapping case.
However, the sentence won’t keep him behind bars for long; he will serve the remainder of his time under house arrest with electronic monitoring.
While the legal battle seems to be drawing to a close, Mathias, who has already spent time in detention, is far from accepting the outcome.
His lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, expressed that Mathias was in “shock,” and emphasized his ongoing claim of innocence.
“From the beginning, he has maintained that he was manipulated and forced into actions beyond his control,” Tabula said. “The court didn’t take that into consideration.”
The case stems from a twisted series of events in 2022 when Mathias and five associates allegedly targeted his brother Paul, the famous French midfielder.
The group demanded a hefty 13 million euros from Paul, claiming they were entitled to financial support after his rise to stardom.
The situation escalated when Paul was held at gunpoint by hooded men and repeatedly threatened. The intimidation tactics included claims that Paul should have helped his childhood friends and family after achieving success.
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