Fraud probe opened into Mbappe payments to police officers
An investigation has been opened into potentially fraudulent payments made by Kylian Mbappe to five police officers assigned to protect the French national football team, the public prosecutor's office said.
The probe comes after a tip-off from the French finance ministry's antimoney laundering unit, which reported 'unusual financial transactions' benefitting the five police officers.
'Investigations, which are by their very nature complex in the case of financial transactions, are underway in order to establish whether any criminal offences have been committed,' the public prosecutor's office said.
French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine on Wednesday reported that the France national team captain's money was used to 'pay under the table for private services', to the tune of 180,300 euros ($209,000).
The Real Madrid striker's entourage issued a statement saying 'everything was done in compliance with the rules'.
It added that Mbappe had 'always chosen to donate in full his bonuses' for playi n g for France at international level.
'It's what he did after the 2022 World Cup, with complete transparency,' the statement continued, saying the money went to charitable organisations and security personnel that accompanied the team.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Daily Tribune
Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 44 people waiting for aid
AFP | Gaza Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on Sunday on a crowd of Palestinians waiting to collect humanitarian aid, providing a preliminary toll of at least 44 people killed. "As of this moment, 44 people have been killed and dozens injured after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for aid" near Gaza City in the territory's north, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Fraud probe opened into Mbappe payments to police officers
AFP | Paris An investigation has been opened into potentially fraudulent payments made by Kylian Mbappe to five police officers assigned to protect the French national football team, the public prosecutor's office said. The probe comes after a tip-off from the French finance ministry's antimoney laundering unit, which reported 'unusual financial transactions' benefitting the five police officers. 'Investigations, which are by their very nature complex in the case of financial transactions, are underway in order to establish whether any criminal offences have been committed,' the public prosecutor's office said. French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine on Wednesday reported that the France national team captain's money was used to 'pay under the table for private services', to the tune of 180,300 euros ($209,000). The Real Madrid striker's entourage issued a statement saying 'everything was done in compliance with the rules'. It added that Mbappe had 'always chosen to donate in full his bonuses' for playi n g for France at international level. 'It's what he did after the 2022 World Cup, with complete transparency,' the statement continued, saying the money went to charitable organisations and security personnel that accompanied the team.
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Martin returns for Czech MotoGP
AFP | Brno Reigning world champion Jorge Martin of Spain will return to racing at the Czech MotoGP this weekend as the Brno circuit hosts its first grand prix since 2020. Marc Marquez is threatening to run away with the title after four straight wins, which have allowed the Spaniard to open up a sizeable gap at the top. The 32-year-old factory Ducati rider has 344 points after 11 of 22 races, and he has won both the sprint and the main race on seven occasions. His younger brother Alex, on a Gresini Ducati, is second with 261 points, ahead of Marc's Italian teammate Francesco Bagnaia -- the 2022 and 2023 world champion -- with 197. But it is Martin, who has yet to score his first point this season, that will likely steal the limelight on the circuit in the second Czech city of Brno. Martin sat out the first three races following two pre-season crashes and when he returned at Qatar in April, he crashed heavily again and missed the next seven races. 'I feel prepared. In terms of the physical condition, I feel better than any time in my life for sure,' the 27-year-old Martin said having recovered from 11 broken ribs. 'I took profit of this time off to work on my performance, and I feel I am a better and more prepared rider now,' he added. 'I don't want to speculate on results... What I can say is that I'm here to compete, I'm not here to make laps. I'm here to do my best.' Martin also said on Thursday he would stay with Aprilia for the 2026 season, dispelling doubts about his future. He had been at odds with the Italian manufacturer after initially saying he intended to activate a release clause in his contract at the end of the season. Brno is returning to the MotoGP calendar for the first time since 2020 after years of financial woes. 'Two seconds faster' Marquez, who stretched his championship lead after a perfect weekend at the Sachsenring in Germany, hailed Martin's return. 'Good for MotoGP, good for the championship, good for Aprilia and especially good for him to be back on track,' he told 'Of course it will take time. You never know with Martin, but he will be fast in the second part of the season.' Marquez has won three MotoGP races at Brno, in 2013, 2017 and 2019, but he sat out the last edition in 2020 with a broken arm as Brad Binder stunned the pack to take his maiden MotoGP win. Marquez holds the fastest lap time of 1min 54.596sec from 2016 and will be looking to improve it on the resurfaced 5.4-kilometre track as forecasters promise a mostly sunny weekend. 'It looks like some manufacturers tested two or three weeks ago and yeah, it looks like they were already two seconds faster,' Marquez said. He is eyeing his seventh MotoGP world title -- and first since 2019 -- that would put him level with the legendary Valentino Rossi. Maverick Vinales, recovering from a shoulder fracture, will be replaced by Pol Espargaro at Brno, while Franco Morbidelli is also out following a bone-crunching crash in Germany. The MotoGP circus will take a summer break after this weekend and resume with the Austrian GP on August 15-17.
