Morocco’s PSG star Achraf Hakimi to face rape trial

While the Paris Saint-Germain star denies the rape allegations, French prosecutors are pushing for a trial that could either end his career or highlight how the wealthy evade the law.

On August 1, the Public Prosecution’s office in Nanterre asked that Achraf Hakimi be referred to the Hauts-de-Seine criminal court, potentially beginning his long-overdue rape trial, according to TelQuel.

The player’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, described the prosecutor’s request as “incomprehensible and senseless given the elements of the case.”

Hakimi, who helped Morocco to their historic run to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, was charged in March 2023 with raping a 24-year-old woman. He reportedly paid for her to visit his home on February 25, 2023, in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt while his wife and children were away on holiday.

The woman would later tell police that Hakimi made non-consensual sexual advances, before raping her; however, she did not file an official complaint.

After the indictment, Hakimi again made headlines for his very public divorce. However, his ex-wife walked away from court empty-handed after learning that the footballer, worth around $70 million, had secretly listed all his money and property under his mother’s name.

Now, more than a year later, the prosecutor’s request to move forward with a criminal trial has reignited debate.

Esq. Colin has denounced the accusations as “without merit,” holding that “We remain calm with Achraf Hakimi about the opening of the proceedings,” she said. “If these requisitions were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal.”

Predictably, Hakimi’s team has accused the complainant of “attempted extortion.”

The victim’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Prado, tells a different story, claiming her client is finally starting to feel a “sense of relief” and warns against smear campaigns typical in such drastic power imbalances.

“We will not tolerate any campaign of denigration or destabilization — these tactics too often target women who bravely speak out about sexual violence,” she said.

The case drags on against a backdrop of growing fatigue in France with its justice system.

While unofficial news aggregators like Transfer News Live say the Moroccan star could face a career-ending 15 years in prison, critics are not so sure.

They hold that the system that repeatedly fails women, placing men of means and guile above the law and above the rest.

TelQuel/ Al Jazeera/ Maghrebi