Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has broken his silence on rape charges against the club’s former player Thomas Partey, MySportDab reports.
Arsenal came under the wires for allegedly shielding Thomas Partey from prosecution following the rape charge.
According to close sources, Partey was first arrested in 2022 following the charges, but continued his career with Arsenal after securing bail.
On June 30, his Arsenal contract expired and he was rearrested for prosecution.
Arsenal came under heavy criticism for apparently not collaborating with the law enforcement agencies to bring Partey to book in the wake of the charges.
Some reports claim that before he was arrested in 2022, Arsenal were fully aware of the allegations but didn’t sanction the player to that effect.
Hence, after he secured his bail, the prosecutors have to wait for the expiry of his contract to arraign him.
When asked recently whether Arsenal acted right by shielding Partey from prosecution, Mikel Arteta responded in the affirmative.
“We 100% followed the right processes,” he said.
Partey is charged with five counts of rape – three related to one woman and two against a second woman. He is also facing two counts of sexual assault charges against a third woman.
The Ghana international has denied the allegations, insisting he is innocent and will stand trial on August 5.
He was arrested just five days after his Arsenal contract expired and it is understood the current legal proceedings could dent his career heavily.
His Arsenal spell came to an end just weeks after renewal talks suffered setbacks due to disagreement over wages.
Saudi clubs were big mentions in the race for his services, but no club is understood to be on his trail at the moment pending the outcome of the rape allegations.
