The defendants repeatedly intimidated Paul Pogba. A brother of footballer Paul Pogba has been sentenced by a Paris criminal court to three years in prison - two of which are suspended - in an extortion and kidnapping case. Mathias Pogba had already spent time in detention and the remainder of the sentence will be served under house arrest with electronic monitoring.
![[Mathias Pogba (right) has been jailed]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2022/09/18/15/newFile.jpg)
This sentence is in line with the prosecution’s request. His lawyer said he would appeal the ruling. The case at the Paris criminal court took place on Thursday without the former Manchester United and Juventus player. A judge had ordered Mathias Pogba and five other men to stand trial following an investigation into whether the footballer was the target of extortion by his brother Mathias and childhood friends in 2022.
Mathias Pogba went on trial last month “for the offences of attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy”. The five others, identified by their first names only, demanded 13 million euros (£10.75 million) from the France midfielder, who was held up at gunpoint by hooded men in March 2022.
The defendants repeatedly intimidated Paul Pogba, claiming he should have supported them after he became an international soccer star. They were accused of extortion, abduction and confinement to facilitate a crime, as well as criminal conspiracy. Roushdane K, suspected of masterminding the blackmail, was sentenced to eight years in prison. The others also received jail terms.
