In a rare twist, the older brother of former France and Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, Mathias, has been sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, for kidnapping and attempting to extort the footballer.
Mathias and five other childhood friends were found guilty by a Paris Criminal Court for attempting to extort about €13 million (R247 million) from his brother in 2022.
Mathias was also fined €20 000 (about R381 000) and will serve the suspended years under house arrest and with an electronic monitoring device.
In 2002, the World Cup winner said he was held up at gunpoint by hooded people, who claimed that he abandoned them, and should have supported them when he became famous.
The former Juventus star only paid €100 000 (R1.9 million) and refused to heed other demands of the kidnappers, despite their repeated intimidations.
The court also ruled that Paul had suffered economic losses of €197 000(R3.7 million) and moral losses of €50 000 (953 400).
All the accused, except Mathias, were ordered to jointly compensate Paul for the losses he endured during the ordeal.
The mastermind of the scheme who was only identified as Roushdane K., was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The others also received various jail terms and fines for their role in the plot.
Mathias’s lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, said his client is innocent and they are going to appeal the judgment, describing it as extremely harsh.
Meanwhile, Pogba is currently serving a three-year doping ban, which saw his club Juventus terminate his contract.
The ban has since been reduced after he appealed it and is set to expire in March next year.
