Investigation into Bastoni: Inter defender accused of paying a minor in 2020
The Milan prosecutor's office is investigating Italian footballer Alessandro Bastoni for an alleged crime of child prostitution dating back to June 2020, as part of a broader inquiry into an agency that organised events for celebrities.
Investigation into Bastoni: Inter defender accused of paying a minor in 2020
The Milan prosecutor's office has registered Alessandro Bastoni, centre-back for Inter and a regular for the Italian national team, as a person under investigation. The 27-year-old footballer is suspected of having paid for an intimate encounter with a girl who was not yet 18 years old, in June 2020. The investigation is part of a wider operation against an agency that, according to investigators' findings, organised exclusive parties for figures from the sporting world and beyond.
According to reports from Slovenske novice, authorities are scrutinising the activities of the Ma.De company, operating in the Milan hinterland, which is alleged to have served as a front for a luxury escort operation. Approximately seventy notable names, including Milan and Inter players and other top-level athletes, are said to appear in the investigation documents. However, at present, Bastoni appears to be the only athlete formally under investigation.
The accusation is that the defender, during that period, paid compensation to a 17-year-old girl in exchange for sexual services. In Italy, such conduct constitutes the crime of child prostitution. Law enforcement is said to have already questioned the young woman, who allegedly confirmed that she had been hosted at the footballer's home, but denied any physical contact with him.
Bastoni is expected at the prosecutor's office next Friday. His lawyer, Salvatore Scuto, has strongly refuted the accusations, describing his client as "deeply shaken". In a statement to the press, the lawyer stated: he categorically denies that his client has ever engaged in paid relations, "let alone with minors".
The accusations come at a particularly delicate moment for the player, regarded as one of the best centre-backs at international level and of interest to Real Madrid. He has been going through a difficult period for some time: a few months ago he had been sent off in the decisive World Cup play-off match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a match then lost on penalties by Italy, which thus failed to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup. Furthermore, after the derby with Juventus, Bastoni and his family members had been subjected to heavy attacks on social media, with opposing supporters reproaching him for simulating a foul in order to get an opponent sent off.
Source: Google News SI — Crime (sl)