PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi charged with complicity in abuse of power | OneFootball

According to a report from Agence France Presse, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been charged with complicity in an ‘abuse of power’ case on 5th February. This was part of a wider investigation to French businessman Arnaud Lagardère and a reported attempt to influence a crucial vote by the Qatari sovereign fund that was a shareholder in his group. A judicial source confirmed to Le Parisien the indictment for complicity in buying and obstruction of voting freedom, as well as for complicity in abuse of power. The judiciary is investigating whether Al-Khelaïfi used his influence to persuade Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, QIA—then the majority shareholder of the Lagardère group—to change its position in 2018 during an internal governance dispute, in exchange for certain benefits.The case involves two main accusations, firstly that Arnaud Lagardère is suspected of having misused funds from Lagardère SAS and Lagardère Capital & Management (LCM) over several years, allegedly embezzling €125 million for personal expenses.The next, involving PSG president Al-Khelaifi concerns events in 2018, when the Lagardère group was embroiled in a power struggle between Vincent Bolloré (allied with Amber Capital) and Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury giant LVMH and recently owner of Ligue 2 side Paris FC, who supported Arnaud Lagardère.This is not the first time Al-Khelaïfi has been the target of legal proceedings. His indictment for corruption in the Qatar bids for the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships was dismissed in February 2023 by France’s Court of Cassation, which ruled that the French judiciary had no jurisdiction over the matter. Parisian judges are also investigating accusations of kidnapping and detention in Qatar, allegedly involving French-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane. Al-Khelaïfi denies these claims and has filed a counter-complaint.GFFN | George Boxall