Mathias Pogba, the older brother of France international Paul Pogba, has been sentenced to a three-year prison term by a Paris court on Thursday in an extortion and abduction case, Afrosport reports.
With two years of the sentence suspended, the 34-year-old will be able to serve the remaining one year with an electronic bracelet rather than in prison.
Mathias has also been fined €20,000 by the court for engaging in the attempted extortion of €13 million from Paul in 2022 and for intimidating and pressuring the former Manchester United midfielder, his family, and his business partners in an attempt to ensure the payment was made.
The case, which includes Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias, and five other men, three of whom are his childhood friends, shocked the football world when it first broke out into the media.
The five other defendants, however, were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping, and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison, along with fines of between €20,000 and €40,000.
Mathias drew the first blood in this saga in April 2022, when he threatened to release incriminating evidence against his younger brother Paul.
The younger Pogba, Paul, confirmed to French investigators he had paid $100,000 to the group, which included his brother Mathias.
The former Juventus midfielder alleged that they had snatched him before he was held at gunpoint. He added that they requested €13 million as payment for the help they have rendered him over the years, blaming him for not helping them financially.
