The deputy general manager of FC Nantes, Franck Kita, as well as “two people, including a players’ agent”, were indicted on Thursday and placed under judicial supervision, the Rennes prosecutor’s office announced in a press release.

These three people were indicted in particular on counts of “money laundering, aggravated money laundering, laundering of tax evasion, exercise of the activity of a sports agent without a valid license”, according to the press release from prosecutor Philippe Astruc.

There are also added “the illegal exercise of the activity of sports agent by a national of a Member State or party to the agreement on the European economic area and complicity, illegal exercise of the activity of sports agent sporting activity by a national of a State which is not a member of the European Union or not a party to the agreement on the European economic area and complicity”.

The facts relate in particular to transfers of players to FC Nantes between 2015 and 2018.

“One of the respondents has already been convicted of tax evasion, including a ban on managing,” said the prosecutor without further details.

According to the local press, in addition to Franck Kita, the two people indicted are Bakari Sanogo and Joaquim Batica, agents of certain Nantes players.

For his part, the owner of the club and father of Franck, Waldemar Kita, was also placed in police custody on Wednesday, like the other three people, but released on Wednesday at the end of the day. He “will be reconvened at a later date,” according to the statement.

The French Football Federation (FFF) is a civil party, indicates the magistrate.

Initially launched by the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office which then transmitted it to the French judicial authorities, the investigation notably highlighted the fact that “the leaders of FC Nantes would have had recourse on a recurring basis, at least since the year 2015 , the employment of unauthorized sports agents by drawing up sports agent contracts and player employment contracts under the guise of nominees, both in the context of player transfer negotiations and in the framework for the negotiation of players’ employment contracts”, explains the press release.

During the investigation, “several employees of FC Nantes were heard in police custody, in addition to many witnesses, including players”, also indicates the press release.

“The investigations mainly focused on the analysis of contracts, bank accounts and financial flows, with exploitation of the numerous documents seized during the search. A laundering of large-scale tax evasion would also have been updated against one of the protagonists”, further specifies the prosecutor.

On May 10, 2022, three days after Nantes’ coronation in the Coupe de France, three club officials had already been placed in police custody for several hours as part of an investigation into player transfers.

According to several media, the investigators were then interested in commissions paid to Bakari Sanogo during several transfers.

As part of this investigation, searches had previously been carried out in December 2020 at the club’s headquarters, at the Jonelière training center.

Agent of Moussa Sissoko, Bakari Sanogo is an intermediary close to Waldemar Kita who has regularly called on his services in his recruitments.