Hakimi to face rape trial as court confirms appeal

A French appeals court confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain defender and Morocco star Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case. Hakimi denies wrongdoing, says he believes the case would have been dismissed if he were not famous, and a trial date has not bee

Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi learned Friday that his bid to overturn a lower ruling failed.

The Versailles appeals court confirmed that Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case, lawyers told The Associated Press. The decision came hours before Morocco takes on Scotland in their Group C match, with Morocco having drawn 1-1 with Brazil in its opening game.

Hakimi is currently playing with Morocco at the World Cup after winning the Champions League for a second straight year with PSG. He appealed a February decision by an investigative judge—an outcome that followed recommendations from public prosecutors that he should face trial.

Hakimi denies any wrongdoing. The case dates to March 2023, when he faced preliminary charges of rape after a 24-year-old woman said she was raped by Hakimi at his home in a Paris suburb.

For the plaintiff’s side, the appeals court’s confirmation landed after more than three years in court. Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, said the decision gives her client a sense of relief and hope.

After more than three years of legal proceedings, and after being defamed and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi’s defense, Pardo said in a statement, the court’s decision “brings my client a sense of relief and hope.”

Pardo continued: “Relief that she has been heard by the justice system and will have her case heard at trial,” adding, “Hope that this trial will help other women and further weaken the fortress of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, including within the world of men’s football.”

Hakimi, for his part, responded with comments posted on X on Friday, saying his case would have been dismissed if he had not been famous. He described himself as an “easy target” and pointed to what he said was a decision he believed depended on public profile.

“Justice looked me in the eye and told me: ‘If you were not famous, there would never have been a case,’” Hakimi wrote. He said he chose to stay silent for years, believing that “staying dignified, being patient, and trusting the justice system would allow the right decisions to be made.”

In his message, Hakimi said the case has been detrimental “not only to him, but also to his family, and above all, to the truth.” He also said he has been waiting for a trial since the first day, writing, “I am now waiting for it impatiently,” and adding, “Finally, I will be able to speak.”

A date for the trial has not been announced.

Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, told the AP that the defense believes the proceedings should not have continued. She said the “multitude of exculpatory elements uncovered during the investigation and judicial inquiry would, in any other case, have led to the dismissal of the proceedings.”

Colin also said the defense regrets that no consequences were drawn from what she described as “the contradictions and false statements made by the complainant. ” as well as her alleged concealment of information from judicial authorities. her alleged obstruction of the search for the truth. and “the psychological assessments noting both her ambivalence and her lack of clarity regarding the events she reported.”.

The appeals court’s decision leaves Hakimi facing the next step in a case that has already upended his life on and off the pitch—while he turns his focus, for now, to Morocco’s World Cup match against Scotland just hours after the ruling.

Achraf Hakimi rape case trial French appeals court Versailles appeals court Paris Saint-Germain Morocco World Cup Scotland Group C Fanny Colin Rachel-Flore Pardo