Mbappé's donations to police officers worth 180,300 euros and accusations of irregular work: why did the prosecutor open an investigation?
French national football team striker Kylian Mbappé at Euro 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany, on July 1, 2024. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Did Kylian Mbappé illegally hire French riot police officers? The French national team striker was singled out in an article in " Le Canard Enchaîné " published Wednesday for issuing checks to five police officers assigned to the French Football Federation (FFF). On Friday, July 18, the Paris prosecutor's office announced it had opened an investigation into possible irregular private services, which the captain of the French national football team denies.
• What do we know about the case?It all began with an article published Wednesday by "Le Canard Enchaîné." The Palmipède, which relies in particular on a note from the financial intelligence unit of Bercy Tracfin, Kylian Mbappé is suspected of having "paid under the table for private services" performed by a CRS commander and four chief brigadiers, for a total amount of 180,300 euros. According to Tracfin, the four police officers received 30,000 euros and their superior 60,300 euros.
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The commander in question is a former soldier wounded in the former Yugoslavia and a multi-medal winner. He has been seconded to the security of the French national team for several years. But he is said to have accompanied Kylian Mbappé on two private trips to Cameroon and to a villa in Vaucluse. The checks were, however, signed before these trips, according to "Le Canard Enchaîné." The satirical newspaper also notes a message from the French national team captain dated March 15, in which he writes that he "donated all of [his] participation bonus [in the World Cup in Qatar, Editor's note] to the members of the team responsible for the players' security as well as to various associations." The bonus was worth €500,000.
• An open investigationThis Friday, the public prosecutor's office confirmed to AFP the information from M6/RTL according to which it had opened an investigation "following a Tracfin report", "dating from July 2024" and "reporting atypical financial transactions for the benefit of five police officers" assigned to the protection of the French football teams "and three private security agents" .
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