French Court Confirms Trial for PSG Star Hakimi

A French court has upheld a decision for Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco footballer Achraf Hakimi to stand trial over an alleged rape, a judicial source told AFP on Wednesday.

Hakimi, 27, had challenged the decision at the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court for civil and criminal matters, after the Versailles appeals court confirmed in June that he should face trial.

The appeal was Hakimi’s final legal recourse.

He was initially ordered in February to stand trial before a criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department over a rape allegation. Hakimi appealed that decision before taking the case to the Court of Cassation after the Versailles court upheld it.

Hakimi has repeatedly denied the accusation.

His lawyer, Fanny Colin, did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on Wednesday.

The woman who made the allegation has maintained her intention to pursue the case. Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said in a statement to AFP that her client remained determined to seek justice after years of legal proceedings and public attacks against her.

“After three and a half years of legal battles, after being slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi’s defence, my client is determined to obtain justice; she will fight to the very end,” Rachel-Flore Pardo said. 

In February 2023, the woman, who was then 24, reported to police in the Val-de-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her.

According to a police source at the time, she had met Hakimi on Instagram in January 2023 and later travelled by taxi to his home, with the journey arranged by the player.

She alleged that Hakimi kissed and touched her without consent before raping her.

The woman said she managed to push him away and send a message to a friend, who then came to collect her.

Hakimi was formally charged with rape several days later.