Fraud probe opened into Kylian Mbappe payments to police officers

Paris: An investigation has been opened into potentially fraudulent payments made by Kylian Mbappe to five police officers assigned to protect the French national football team, the public prosecutor's office told AFP on Thursday.

The probe comes after a tip-off from the French finance ministry's anti-money laundering unit, which reported "unusual financial transactions" benefitting the five police officers.

"Investigations, which are by their very nature complex in the case of financial transactions, are underway in order to establish whether any criminal offences have been committed," the public prosecutor's office said.

French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine on Wednesday reported that the France national team captain's money was used to "pay under the table for private services", to the tune of 180,300 euros ($209,000).

The Real Madrid striker's entourage issued a statement saying "everything was done in compliance with the rules".

It added that Mbappe had "always chosen to donate in full his bonuses" for playing for France at international level. 

"It's what he did after the 2022 World Cup, with complete transparency," the statement continued, saying the money went to charitable organisations and security personnel that accompanied the team.