Ribéry Locks Horns: Epstein Documents Prompt Swift Legal Move

Background

US DOJ releases a fresh batch of documents today.

The former French star, Franck Ribéry, an ex-Bayern Munich player, made a swift decision after his name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed a new batch of documents and files related to the Epstein investigations, in keeping with transparency obligations in Epstein files.

Details and Response

The released documents, numbering in the millions of pages, alongside more than two thousand video clips and about 180 thousand images, referenced many public figures, including celebrities, officials, and businesspeople.

Among the names in these documents was the French footballer Franck Ribéry, in the file numbered 'EFTA00079540'.

Ribéry's attorney, Carlo Alberto Prosa, said in a formal statement today, Tuesday, that his client will file a lawsuit over what he alleges are 'false reports' tying him to Epstein, which circulated in recent hours.

The statement, issued by his attorney, read in part: 'Through this statement, Ribéry responds with the utmost firmness to these claims, taken from a complaint letter Morlaix sent to the U.S. judicial system on November 12, 2019, which named a woman known to us, among others, Franck Ribéry'.

According to Prosa, this is a 'settling of scores' and publishing false information does not protect his right to free speech.

Punchline: If rumors were goals, Ribéry would be top scorer in the transfer window.

Punchline 2: Maybe Epstein kept a secret locker room—too bad it's all in the files.