France investigates Mbappé's donations to five French police officers

French authorities are investigating donations worth €180,300 that footballer Kylian Mbappé made in June 2023 to five police officers involved in protecting his country's national team.

The investigation, first reported by the weekly Le Canard Enchaîné , is being conducted by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) and is looking into payments made by Mbappé using checks from a bank account in his name in Monaco.

Four officers involved in protecting the team received 30,000 euros each; their boss, 60,300 euros.

The Paris Prosecutor's Office has also launched its own investigation, seeking to determine whether possible crimes of hidden work and tax laundering may have been committed, RTL radio reported Thursday night. Four officers from a special unit received €30,000 each, while their chief received €60,300.

Both investigations, by the IGPN and the Prosecutor's Office, were launched following information from the French intelligence service for combating money laundering, tax fraud, and the financing of terrorism (Tracfin).

The footballer's entourage maintains that the award was part of the bonus he received for his runner-up position at the World Cup in Qatar.

The footballer's entourage told L'Équipe that what Mbappé, captain of the French national team, gave to the agents was part of the amount he received as a bonus for his team's runner-up finish at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in which he was the captain of the Blues .

"All the staff members had received their World Cup bonuses, except for them," so the donation was "in a spirit of fairness, in recognition of a job well done, with no compensation," added sources close to the player.

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Mbappé received €500,000 as a bonus from the French Football Federation (FFF) for his World Cup runner-up finish—following the final loss to Argentina on penalties—and explained that he decided to donate the entire amount to various civic associations, as well as to the members of the police force protecting the players.

According to Le Canard Enchaîné , the footballer consulted his tax lawyer, who advised him that such donations did not have to be declared to the tax authorities. However, the publication adds that the investigation has found that the group's commander accompanied Mbappé on various private trips, and is therefore seeking to determine whether he may have performed private protection work that would have been paid for tax-free.