Morocco’s world cup star facing rape accusation in Paris
Barely two days since the news of Saad Lamjarred was sentenced to six years imprisonment by a Paris court, Morocco is rocked by a second rape case, also featuring a celebrity, this time a footballer who touched the hearts of millions of Moroccans during the World Cup in Qatar.
French prosecutors on February 27th opened an investigation into alleged rape by Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi, a source close to the case said.
A 24-year-old woman has accused the Moroccan international, pictured above with his Tunisian wife, of raping her at his home in a Paris suburb on February 25th, according to France’s state owned news agency AFP.
According to the source, confirming an article in the Parisien newspaper, the woman reported the incident at a police station on February 26th but did not file charges. PSG, contacted by AFP, declined to comment.
However, press reports offer different versions of the case, with some indicating that the incident dated back to an earlier meeting in January.
According to a source in a Parisian magazine, the incident took place in Boulogne-Billancourt and dates back to January 16. The plaintiff said the two first met on Instagram and that they met in person for the first time on February 25th, at his home address. The complainant stated that she traveled to his house by Uber which Hakimi ordered for her.
Hakimi was part of the Morocco team that finished fourth in the World Cup in Qatar.
Born in Madrid, his penalty secured a 3-0 shoot-out win over Spain to steer Morocco into uncharted territory, with the north African side going on to become the first from the Arab world to reach the last four at a World Cup.
