Lewandowski testifies amid Polish national team controversy

Poland star Robert Lewandowski appeared in court in Warsaw on Wednesday to testify in connection with a blackmail case involving his former agent, as criticism mounted over his resignation from the Polish national team.

The 36-year-old striker arrived early for the hearing, accompanied by an entourage of lawyers, escorted by several policemen and bodyguards, with access to the corridor cut off for the media. The trial in which the Barca striker testified concerns a dispute with his former business partner and agent, Cezary Kucharski, and the sale of shares in his company “RL Management”.

The Warsaw Regional Prosecutor's Office charged Kucharski in May 2022 with threatening Lewandowski between September 2019 and September 2020 and harassing the footballer and his wife, Anna Lewandowska, with hundreds of phone calls. According to the prosecution, Kucharski was seeking 20 million euros in exchange for not disclosing information about alleged tax irregularities in Lewandowski's and his wife's company.

A key piece of evidence is the recordings of 3.5 hours of conversations between the two, made by Lewandowski without the knowledge of his interlocutor. In these recordings, Kucharski mentions the sum of 20 million euros as the price for the couple's "peace of mind" and accuses the footballer of not paying taxes in Poland and Germany.

For his part, Lewandowski insinuated that Kucharski may have been involved in money laundering activities. The authenticity of these recordings has been confirmed by a phonoscopic expert, with no signs of editing detected. Lewandowski's wife has been summoned to testify tomorrow.