Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president, has been handed preliminary charges in an ongoing investigation into possible corruption, according to The Associated Press.
The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly, clarified that the case is unrelated to the Ligue 1 club but concerns Al-Khelaifi’s links to a French businessman.
Al-Khelaifi faces preliminary charges of complicity in the alleged buying of a vote, harming freedom to vote, and complicity in abuse of power to the detriment of the Lagardère group, the official said.
However, he has not been placed under judicial supervision and denies any wrongdoing.
In France, preliminary charges indicate that the suspect could either be cleared if the investigation yields no evidence or be formally indicted and sent to trial.
Arnaud Lagardère, head of the Lagardère Group, is suspected of misusing €125 million ($130 million) of the company’s funds for personal expenses over several years.
According to Le Monde, Al-Khelaifi is suspected of assisting Lagardère in securing a favourable vote from Qatar Holding LLC—then the largest shareholder of his group—at the 2018 general shareholders’ meeting. In return, he allegedly promised to appoint a Doha-linked diplomat to Lagardère’s board to represent Qatari interests.
A source close to the PSG president dismissed the allegations, stating, “This case has absolutely and emphatically nothing to do with Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Yet, as usual, he is being dragged into a baseless process simply because he is a well-known figure. In a few years, this will quietly disappear without any grounds whatsoever.” The source was not authorized to speak publicly.
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