PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi Charged in French Corporate Abuse of Power Case

Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has been hit with preliminary charges in an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption, a judicial official informed The Associated Press on Thursday.

According to the source, Al-Khelaifi was charged on February 5 with complicity in the alleged buying of a vote and interfering with voting freedom related to a 2018 board decision by a Qatari investment fund at the Lagardère Group.

The PSG chief, who has overseen the club since its 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments with the ambition of making it Europe’s top team, has faced multiple legal cases in recent years but has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

“This file has absolutely and emphatically nothing to do with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, but as usual he will get dragged through a completely spurious process as a famous name, who is apparently responsible for anything and everything until everything quietly disappears without any grounds whatsoever in a few years,” said a source close to the Qatari, also asking not to be named.

Lagardère Group chief Arnaud Lagardère is under suspicion for allegedly misusing approximately €125 million ($129 million) from the company over several years to cover personal expenses.

The case involving Nasser Al-Khelaifi, widely known in France as “NAK,” centers on a 2018 power struggle within the board of Lagardère Group.

At the time, billionaire right-wing tycoon Vincent Bolloré, backed by the Amber Capital investment fund, was vying for control against Bernard Arnault, France’s richest man and the head of luxury giant LVMH, who supported Arnaud Lagardère.

On April 24, 2018, Qatar Holding LLC—a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Lagardère Group’s primary shareholder—voted in favor of resolutions put forward by Amber Capital.

Arnaud Lagardère and his associates are accused of leveraging their connections, including Nasser Al-Khelaifi, in his role as a director of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

Five days after the initial vote, the QIA reversed its stance and supported the resolutions proposed by Arnaud Lagardère.

Following a long and contentious takeover battle, media and publishing giant Vivendi, controlled by the Bolloré family, acquired Lagardère Group in late November 2023.

A previous corruption indictment against Al-Khelaifi, linked to Qatar’s bids for the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships, was dismissed in February 2023 by France’s Court of Cassation, which ruled that French authorities lacked jurisdiction to prosecute him.

Additionally, Parisian investigators are examining allegations that Al-Khelaifi was involved in the kidnapping and detention of Franco-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane in Qatar.

Al-Khelaifi denies the claims and has filed a counter-complaint.