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Prosecutors in Sweden have closed their investigation into a rape that occurred in Stockholm in October, a case in which Kylian Mbappe was reportedly a person of interest, citing a lack of evidence.
"During the course of the investigation, there has been a designated person suspected on reasonable grounds of rape and two cases of sexual assault, but my assessment is that the evidence is not sufficient to proceed and the investigation is therefore closed," lead prosecutor Marina Chirakova said in a statement issued on Thursday, per The Guardian. "The designated person has not been notified of suspicion of a crime."
The investigation centered on an incident that allegedly took place at a hotel in Stockholm two months ago, with a criminal complaint submitted to the police shortly after. Though prosecutors did not name any of the individuals involved, several Swedish publications reported that Mbappe was "reasonably suspected" of rape, the lowest level of suspicion in Sweden's legal system. The Real Madrid player was reportedly in Stockholm with friends on the day of the incident after being left off of France's roster during the international break, stopping by restaurant Chez Jolie and nightclub V before leaving the city the following day.
Mbappe and his representatives denied the Swedish reports almost immediately after they were published, and the player himself seemed to hint on X that his ex-club Paris Saint-Germain were behind the allegations while the two parties were locked in a pay dispute. A PSG spokesperson said at the time that the club would maintain their "dignity and class" and otherwise refrain from commenting, though it would be a surprise if the French champions had anything to do with it, per The Guardian.
Mbappe addressed the investigation on Sunday in a sit-down with French broadcaster Canal+, admitting that it surprised him.
"These are things that come into your life like that, you can't see them coming," he said. "It's just incomprehension. I don't think it weighed on me, in the sense that I have never considered myself involved."