Rape investigation: Mbappé to address Swedish judiciary if required, says lawyer
Kylian Mbappé, reportedly linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, will reserve any explanations for the Swedish justice system “if necessary”, his lawyer stated on Thursday.
“He prioritises providing his explanations, if required, to the Swedish judiciary,” Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard told AFP.
The lawyer strongly condemned “media allegations suggesting that Kylian Mbappé had commented on the events of his trip to Stockholm.”
French daily Le Parisien and RMC Sports both reported on Thursday that the France and Real Madrid striker had consensual sex with a young woman during the trip last week.
According to the two outlets, Mbappé possesses messages from the woman “with a very positive tone,” describing a happy encounter and consensual relations.
Le Parisien added that it could not confirm if the complainant in the rape case was the same woman who sent those messages.
As discomfort in his left thigh excluded him from France’s squad for the Nations League games, Mbappé decided to visit Stockholm with a group of friends, arriving on 9 October and leaving on 11 October.
Several Swedish media outlets reported that the group visited a restaurant and a nightclub. After they left Sweden, a woman reported to the police, claiming she was a victim of rape.
On Monday, after Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet first reported that a rape investigation had been initiated, Mbappé denounced the report as “fake news” on social media, alleging a connection between the accusations and his financial dispute with his former club, Paris Saint-Germain. A hearing into the case was held on Tuesday.
“It’s becoming so predictable, the day before the hearing, as if by coincidence,” Mbappé wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
A Swedish prosecutor has confirmed that an investigation has been opened but has not named Mbappé.
Lawyer Canu-Bernard told AFP on Tuesday that the 2018 World Cup winner was “at ease” because “he has done nothing wrong.”
