French police officer dismissed due to Mbappe

A police officer assigned to secure the French national team was suddenly dismissed for receiving presents from Kylian Mbappe.

An officer in charge of security for the French national team was disciplined by the French National Police Directorate (DGPN) with early retirement after accepting gifts from Kylian Mbappe. This information was confirmed by close sources to AFP, and aligns with the article published in Le Monde.

Specifically, in June 2023, the officer working at the French Football Federation (FFF) received 60,300 Euros from Mbappe, money taken from the French captain's bonus at the 2022 World Cup. In July 2024, a bank reported this transaction to Tracfin, the financial intelligence agency under the French Ministry of Finance, which triggered a judicial investigation.

The officer’s lawyer, Jean Baptiste Soufron, asserted that the donation related to the 2022 World Cup was legal, made by check, and did not require declaration.

During the administrative investigation conducted by IGPN, the police oversight body, the officer appeared before a disciplinary board in October. According to sources, the board did not impose any sanctions at that time.

However, a few weeks later, on December 20, the DGPN unexpectedly decided to enforce early retirement as a disciplinary measure, citing the officer’s failure to report the received money to superiors.

Before the decision was issued, the officer, described as a friend of the Mbappé family, had completed retirement procedures and was expected to leave the force on December 31. Some sources indicated he might be contracted by the FFF on a short-term basis to work at the upcoming World Cup.

The lawyer argued that the DGPN’s decision seriously contradicted the IGPN’s investigation findings, as all other allegations except the monetary gift were dismissed after the disciplinary hearing, especially suspicions related to undeclared overtime or parallel activities in Cameroon.

The lawyer emphasized that the case lacked legal grounds because the donation was lawful and uncontested, and considered the disciplinary action punitive, given that the officer was already preparing to retire at the end of December. Former provincial governor Abdel Aissou, also part of the defense, questioned why an honest officer was targeted.

The judicial investigation regarding accusations of undeclared work and money laundering involving tax fraud connected to this officer is still ongoing.

Additionally, it is known that four other officers each received 30,000 Euros under similar circumstances, bringing the total amount Mbappe gifted to 180,300 Euros. Mbappe’s side insists that all actions were conducted according to regulations without any exchange of favors.