PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is under investigation after being accused of kidnapping and torture.
Three investigating judges in Paris were appointed to the case on Monday, several months after French-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane filed the initial complaint.
The complaint has been filed with a civil action, meaning, under French law, a judicial investigation will be conducted with regard to the alleged crimes, according to Spanish sports paper AS.
Benabderrahmane claims that he was tortured in Qatar in 2020 for being in possession of documents containing information which it is claimed implicate Al-Khelaifi. He claims he was arrested in January 2020 in Qatar, before being incarcerated for six months and subsequently tortured.
After being released from prison, Benabderrahmane alleges he was then placed under house arrest before leaving the country in November 2020. He claims he signed a confidentiality protocol in which he undertook not to divulge “sensitive” documents. on Nasser al-Khelaïfi.
The alleged information possessed by Benabderrahmane is believed to be stored on a mobile phone belonging to Al-Khelaifi, relating to the awarding of World Cup 2022 in Qatar, as well as the awarding of television rights for the Middle East for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups to beIN Media.
Al-Khelaïfi is the chairman of beIN Media Group.
However, the PSG president has since been acquitted for those claims. Initially suspected of having negotiated the rights behind FIFA's back, Al-Khelaïfi wasn't found of any wrongdoing.
“We are very happy that the real file of this story is finally the subject of an investigation by the French justice," Benabderrahmane's lawyers, Maîtres Romain Ruiz and Gabriel Vejnar, told French outlet AFP.
Al-Khelaifi strenuously denies all of the allegations, and in a statement to French sports paper L'Equipe, highlighted what he felt was the disreputable background of his allegers.
“You are talking about professional criminals. They’ve changed their lawyers more times than they’ve changed their stories and their lies. It is the ultimate media manipulation," said Al-Khelaifi.
"I’m just amazed so many people have taken their lies and contradictions as credible – but that’s the media world we’re in today. Justice will run its course – I don’t have time to talk about petty professional criminals.”
His defenders also point to what they see as a lack of evidence behind the claims – including around the supposed prison time, the alleged torture and the existence of the documents – as well as the timing of the allegations around the Qatar World Cup.
Al-Khelaifi has acted as PSG president since Qatar Sports Investments (QSi) took over the French club in the summer of 2011.
This article was amended on February 28, 2023 to include a quote from Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
