Achraf Hakimi rape trial upheld by French court

A French court on Wednesday upheld a decision to send Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco footballer Achraf Hakimi to trial on a rape charge.

Hakimi, 27, has repeatedly denied the accusation. His appeal to the Court of Cassation, France's highest court for civil and criminal matters, was his final legal recourse against the trial order.

Hakimi was ordered in February to stand trial before the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department. The Versailles appeals court upheld that decision on June 19, and Hakimi then appealed to the Court of Cassation.

“The allegations against Achraf Hakimi, which he has firmly contested from day one, have not been examined by the Court of Cassation,” Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, told AFP. “They will be during the trial, at which all the evidence in Achraf Hakimi’s defence will be presented publicly.”

Colin said Hakimi had “nothing to hide”, had fully cooperated with police and judicial authorities throughout the investigation and would continue to do so during the trial.

A lawyer for the plaintiff said the decision to send the case to trial reflected the “strength and rigour of the court of appeal’s reasoning”. Rachel-Flore Pardo, the woman's lawyer, said her client was determined to obtain justice and would “fight to the very end”.

The case concerns an allegation made in February 2023 by a woman then aged 24, who told police in the Val-de-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her. A police source said at the time that the woman said she had met Hakimi on Instagram in January 2023 and went to his home in a taxi ordered by the player.

The plaintiff claimed that Hakimi kissed her, touched her without her consent and then raped her. She said she managed to push him away and text a friend, who came to pick her up. Hakimi was charged with rape a few days later.

PSG said Hakimi “has always firmly denied the allegations against him” and continued to benefit from the presumption of innocence. The club said it was committed to ensuring a calm and respectful working environment for the player and reiterated its commitment to combating violence, particularly sexual violence.