A man has been arrested on suspicion of “manslaughter by an unlawful act” following the death of Emiliano Sala.
Sala, 28, died in a plane crash in January as he flew to Cardiff City following his club-record $18 million transfer from French club Nantes.
The plane he was on has since been found in the English Channel, just north of Guernsey, along with his body but the body of pilot David Ibbotson had never been found.
According to Dorset Police the arrest was made in Yorkshire, England as they have confirmed that a 64-year-old man has been arrested and released while they continue their investigations.
Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) released the following statement.
“We have carried out a wide-ranging investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr Sala and continue to work with partner agencies including the Civil Aviation Authority.
“As part of this investigation we have to consider whether there is any evidence of any suspected criminality and as a result of our enquiries we have today, Wednesday 19 June 2019, arrested a 64-year-old man from the North Yorkshire area on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act. He is assisting with our enquiries and has been released from custody under investigation.”
“This matter therefore is still subject to a live investigation and I would ask the media and members of the public to refrain from speculation, as this could cause additional distress to the families involved as well as potentially hinder the investigation. As is standard practice, we will not be releasing any further information as to the identity of the individual who has been arrested unless that person is charged to appear in court and again would discourage any speculation in relation to this.”
Dorset Police have been carrying out the investigations on behalf of the coroner as Sala’s body was brought to Portland, Dorset when it was found in February after a private search in the English Channel.
