On Friday, August 1, French prosecutors demanded that Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi face a trial for the alleged r@pe of a woman in 2023, a charge that the Paris Saint-Germain player firmly denies.
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office informed AFP that they had asked the investigating judge to send the r@pe charge to a criminal court.
“It is now up to the investigating magistrate to make a decision within the framework of his order,” the prosecutor’s office told AFP in a statement.
Hakimi, 26, played a pivotal role in PSG’s campaign to secure their first Champions League title, the full-back scoring the opening goal in the 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the final in May.
Hakimi, who was instrumental in Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, was charged in March 2023 with raping a 24-year-old woman.
On the night in question, she claimed she had traveled to his house in a taxi paid for by Hakimi. She told police that Hakimi began kissing her and making non-consensual sexual advances before raping her, according to a police source who spoke to AFP at the time. She stated she was able to break free and text a friend who came to pick her up.
Contacted by AFP after Friday’s development, Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, described the call by prosecutors for a trial as “incomprehensible and senseless in light of the case’s elements.” “If these requisitions were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal,” she added.
“My client welcomes this news with immense relief,” Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the woman, told AFP.
The investigating judge is expected to determine in the coming weeks whether Hakimi will face trial.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli