Affaire Achraf Hakimi : Le verdict de la Cour d'appel vient de tomber
Moroccan footballer Achraf Hakimi will indeed be tried for rape before a French court of justice, the Versailles Court of Appeal (Paris region) announced in a statement on Friday.
Achraf Hakimi has been accused since February 2023 by a young woman who went to a police station, where she declared that she had been raped by the footballer.
The Paris Saint-Germain player, recent winner of the Champions League, and leader of the Moroccan team, whose team plays its second World Cup match on Friday evening against Scotland, has for his part always denounced a "false" accusation.
No sooner had the decision been handed down by the Court of Appeal than the player declared on X that he was "eagerly awaiting" the trial, assuring: "finally, I will be able to speak".
The trial date is not known at this stage.
"The investigations carried out during the inquiry and the judicial investigation led the investigating chamber to say that there is sufficient evidence against" Achraf Hakimi, "justifying his indictment" before a court in the Paris region, the Court of Appeal stressed in its statement.
"This confirmation was expected. It is not said here that he is guilty of anything, he is firm in his defense," recalled his lawyer, Ms. Fanny Colin.
"After more than three years of legal battles, after being slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi's defense, this decision brings relief and hope to my client," reacted Rachel-Flore Pardo, lawyer for the civil party.
According to a police source at the time of the events, the young woman recounted meeting Achraf Hakimi in January 2023 on Instagram and going to his home in a private car service (VTC) ordered by the player. She then explained that the player kissed her and touched her without her consent before raping her.
She added that she had managed to push him away and specified that a friend, contacted by SMS, had come to pick her up.
Achraf Hakimi was charged and placed under judicial supervision a few days later, in March.
Speaking to the press for the first time in an article published Thursday evening by the independent investigative website Mediapart, Jeanne (a pseudonym) stated that she wanted "a trial to defend herself, to be heard." "I want to justify myself. I want people to believe me," she added.
Despite the seriousness of the accusations, the player seems focused for the moment on his sporting progress and that of the Atlas Lions, the Moroccan national team, in the World Cup.
Now 27 years old, the right-back started the competition wearing the captain's armband.
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