Documents obtained from the whistle-blowing platform Football Leaks and analysed by Mediapart and its partners in the journalistic collective European Investigative Collaborations (EIC), provide an astonishing insight into events surrounding the transfer of French midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from Sevilla to Monaco in 2013. The sometimes sordid saga surrounding Kondogbia’s transfer, in which the player had no part, involved secret commission payments and a plan to hold a sex party in Miami for the president of Real Madrid – who strenuously denies ever taking part in the event. Yann Philippin, Michaël Hajdenberg and Michel Henry report.
MPs voted 268 to 138 in favour of law that imposes fines for anyone who buys a sexual act but bill must still pass the Senate before coming into force.
Two socialist MPs have attracted all-party support for a new bill which would criminalise the clients of prostitutes, earning them a fine. Yet behind the apparent consensus, Mediapart has discovered that there is far from unanimity on the proposed law even within the ruling party. A number of senior socialist MPs point out that many respected non-governmental organisations fear the change would make life less safe for prostitutes. Others say it will make the party look too 'moralising'. And as Mathieu Magnaudeix reports, it is also not clear whether the prime minister or the president fully support what could become a controversial measure.
A grim and disturbing report has revealed how a law aimed at tackling street prostitution and people trafficking, introduced ten years ago, has not only largely failed in its main aims but in some cases has produced disastrous results, making prostitutes more vulnerable to attacks and leading to numerous abuses by police officers. The controversial law is now due to be scrapped. Michel Deléan reports.
