LONDON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been charged with five accounts of rape and one of sexual assault, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed on Friday.

"The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorized the prosecution of Thomas Partey for multiple counts of rape - after carefully reviewing a comprehensive file of evidence."

"Our prosecutors have worked closely with officers in the Metropolitan Police who have carried out the investigation, to review the evidence and advise on the appropriate charges," commented Jaswant Narwal of the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Crown Prosecution Service informed that the charges refer to incidents with three different women between 2021 and 2022, and Partey is now scheduled to appear in court on August 5.

The Metropolitan Police explained that investigations into Partey began in February this year.

32-year-old Partey left Arsenal at the end of June when his contract expired, and had been linked with a return to his former club Atletico Madrid. ■