PSG star Achraf Hakimi is reportedly facing trial for rape after allegedly inviting a woman over to his home near Paris.
French prosecutors have signed a final indictment requesting the 26-year-old to be charged in criminal court.
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On Friday, a spokesman for Nanterre prosecutors confirmed they had “requested that the investigating judge” refers the Hakimi case to a criminal trial.
This follows him being charged with rape on March 3, 2023, and bailed under police supervision.
If convicted, the Moroccan national faces up to 15 years in prison – the maximum sentence for non-aggravated rape in France.
The case stems from an alleged incident on February 25, 2023.
According to Le Parisien, a 24-year-old woman told police she met Hakimi on Instagram in January of that year.
After a month of exchanges, he reportedly ordered her an Uber to his home in Boulogne-Billancourt.
His wife – Spanish-Turkish actress Hiba Abouk, 38 – was reportedly on holiday in Dubai with their two young sons at the time.
Once inside, the woman claims Hakimi kissed her mouth and breasts through her clothes, despite her protests.
She alleged he then assaulted her without consent.
According to her account, she managed to push him away with her foot before fleeing and texting a friend to pick her up.
She went to a police station the same day to “make a statement of rape,” though she initially declined to file a formal complaint.
Messages she later provided to investigators reportedly showed her distress following the encounter.
On March 3, 2023, Hakimi was charged with rape by an investigating judge and placed under judicial supervision after being held in custody.
He has consistently denied the allegations.
On December 8, 2023, the woman came face-to-face with Hakimi in the investigating judge’s office.
This provided her with the chance to reiterate her accusations, while the player again denied any wrongdoing.
PSG management then allowed him to miss training for “personal reasons.”
The footballer, currently holidaying in Puerto Rico with former teammate Kylian Mbappé, previously claimed the case was a plot against him.
“The truth is that when you are successful and things are going well, you become an easy target for certain people and that taught me that you can’t trust many people around you,” Hakimi said this January in a interview.
“They wanted to blackmail me and that’s why we filed a complaint and it’s going well. The justice system handled things rather well.”
Throughout the investigation, Hakimi has maintained his accuser — who was 23 at the time of the alleged attack — was attempting to take millions from him.
His legal team described the complaint as “attempted racketeering,” while Hakimi has filed a countersuit.
His lawyer, Fanny Colin, slammed the prosecution’s latest move.
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“These requisitions are incomprehensible and senseless in light of the evidence in the case,” she told Le Parisien.
“It establishes the plaintiff’s lies, particularly through the psychological assessments conducted on her.
“Achraf Hakimi and I remain as calm as when the proceedings began.
“If these requests were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal.”
Hakimi remains free on bail while awaiting the investigating judge’s decision.
A prosecuting spokesman said: “It is now up to the investigating judge to make a decision about a possible trial within the framework of his order.”
But the alleged victim’s lawyer welcomed the development. “My client welcomes this news with immense relief,” said Rachel-Flore Pardo.
“Nothing in this case suggests an attempted racketeering. We will not tolerate any smear or destabilisation campaign, as is unfortunately still too often the case for women who have the courage to report the rape of which they are victims.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Hakimi, who met his actress wife Hiba Abouk in 2018, has been supported throughout the investigation by PSG, which has said it “trusts the justice system.”
Hakimi has since carried on with his glittering career, including winning the Champions League with PSG last season.
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