The Supreme Court rejected the last appeal filed by the defense of the Parisian footballer, accused by a 24-year-old woman of an incident reported in February 2023
More than three years after the complaint that put Achraf Hakimi at the center of a legal case in France, the process has taken a new step towards an oral hearing. The French Supreme Court rejected the last appeal filed by the footballer's defense and confirmed his trial for an accusation of rape.
Thus, the defender of the Paris Saint-Germainno longer has resources to prevent the opening of the process. The trial will take place before a Criminal Court in the department of Hauts-de-Seine, in the area of Nanterre, although for now the authorities have not set a date for its start.
The case began in February 2023, when a 24-year-old woman accused the footballer. According to her account, both met through Instagram and, after exchanging messages for a while, she was invited to Hakimi's home in Boulogne-Billancourt.
Hakimi is accused of an alleged rape case that occurred in early 2023
According to the complaint, the meeting took place during the night of February 24, 2023. The woman claimed that she was kissed and touched without her consent and that she was subsequently sexually assaulted despite her resistance. According to her version, she managed to free herself and contact a friend, who came to pick her up.
Hakimi was charged a few days later, on March 2, 2023, and from the beginning denied the accusations. The footballer, born in Madrid and of Moroccan nationality, denied that a rape occurred and stated, as noted in the case, that the interactions between them were consensual.
The defense of the complainant has now celebrated the decision of the French judiciary. Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, commented: "After three and a half years of legal battle, after being slandered and dragged by Achraf Hakimi's defense, my client is convinced that justice will be served, she will fight until the end". Additionally, the lawyer stated that her client hopes that "this process will help other women and further break the strength of denial and impunity of sexual violence, even in the world of professional football".
One of the elements that may become relevant during the trial is the possible testimony of Kylian Mbappé. The current Real Madrid forward was Hakimi's teammate at PSG when the events occurred and his testimony was included in the file by the defense, which sought to provide elements related to consent.
Mbappé could testify in the Hakimi case
For now, Hakimi's lawyer, Fanny Colin, has not made any statements following the resolution. The decision of the Supreme Court, meanwhile, sets the case on a path towards an oral hearing in which the different versions and the evidence gathered during the investigation will need to be analyzed.
