The French police officer in charge of the security of the national football team has been sanctioned with early retirement after receiving a monetary donation from Kylian Mbappe, the General Directorate of the National Police of France has confirmed.
As reported by AFP, referring to sources close to the case and the writing of the Le Monde newspaper, the police officer received an amount of 60,300 euros in June 2023. The donation came from Mbappe, who received the money as a bonus after finishing second with France at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The disputed transaction was reported to the financial intelligence service Tracfin in July 2024, after which a judicial investigation was launched. During that period, the police officer was assigned to the French Football Association.
His lawyer Jean Baptiste Soufron previously told AFP that the donation was made by check, that it was completely legal and that there was no legal obligation to report it.
Although the General Police Inspectorate conducted an administrative investigation, the disciplinary council that sat in October did not impose any punishment. However, on December 20, the General Directorate of the National Police decided on his early retirement because he did not inform his superiors about the donation.
According to available information, the police officer had already initiated the retirement procedure and left the service on December 31. It is also reported that he is a family friend of the Mbappe family and that the French Football Federation could work with him through a temporary contract during the next World Cup.
His legal team announced an appeal to the administrative court, considering the decision of the DGPN to be illogical and contradictory, given that other charges, including suspicions of parallel involvement in Cameroon, had previously been dismissed.
“This case has no legal basis. The donation was legal and was never questioned. It is obvious that there is an intention to harass, especially since the commander was already scheduled to retire at the end of the year,” said Abdel Aïssou.
(Vijesti.ba)
