Paul Pogba's brother has been sentenced for his role in a high-profile extortion and kidnapping case.
Mathias Pogba was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, by the Paris Criminal Court on Thursday, according to The Guardian.
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He will serve the remaining year of his sentence under house arrest with electronic monitoring, with the court also fining him €20 000 (around R381 000) for attempting to extort €13 million (R247 million) from his brother in 2022, alongside five other defendants.
The case revolved around an alleged extortion plot targeting the former Manchester United midfielder, orchestrated by Mathias and a group of childhood friends.
In March 2022, Pogba claimed he was held at gunpoint by hooded men who demanded the substantial sum, insisting he owed them financial support after rising to international stardom.
Court documents are understood to have revealed that the midfielder paid €100 000 (R1.9 million) to the group but resisted further demands.
The extortion attempts are said to have caused the player economic losses of €197 000 (R3.7 million) and moral damages worth €50 000 (R953 396).
All defendants, except Mathias, were ordered to jointly compensate Paul for these losses.
Roushdane K, identified as the mastermind behind the blackmail, received the harshest penalty – a prison sentence of eight years.
The other defendants were handed fines ranging from €20 000 to €40 000 (R762 700) and varying prison terms.
Mathias' lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, maintained his client's innocence.
"He is in a state of shock. From the outset, he has maintained his innocence," the lawyer said.
"They did not take into account the fact that he has been manipulated, the fact that he has been forced to do things beyond his control."
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Pogba, meanwhile, has endured a tumultuous year of his own.
Juventus recently terminated his contract by mutual agreement, following a doping ban that saw him sidelined from the sport. However, with the ban now reduced, Paul will be eligible to resume his career in March. The 31-year-old is currently on the hunt for a new club.