French prosecutors have requested that Paris Saint-Germain defender, Achraf Hakimi, stand trial over an alleged rape incident that happened in 2023, a charge the Moroccan footballer has consistently denied.
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office confirmed on Friday that it had asked the investigating magistrate to refer the case to a criminal court.
“It is now up to the investigating magistrate to make a decision within the framework of his order,” the office told AFP.
Achraf Hakimi, 26, who played a pivotal role in PSG’s historic UEFA Champions League triumph earlier this year, was originally charged in March 2023 with raping a 24-year-old woman.
According to case details, the woman claimed Hakimi paid for her taxi fare to his residence in Boulogne-Billancourt on February 25, 2023, while his wife and children were away on holiday.
Despite not filing a formal complaint, the woman recounted to police that she met Hakimi on Instagram in January 2023 and was later invited to his home.
She alleged that once there, he made unwanted sexual advances and eventually raped her. A police source told AFP that she managed to escape and contacted a friend who picked her up.
Prosecutors moved ahead with charges based on her statement, even in the absence of a formal complaint.
Reacting to the announcement, Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, described the prosecution’s move as “incomprehensible and senseless in light of the case’s elements.”
“We, along with Achraf Hakimi, remain as calm as we were at the start of the proceedings,” Colin said. “If these requisitions were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal.”
She also alleged that Hakimi was the victim of “an attempted extortion,” a claim firmly rejected by the woman’s legal team.
“Nothing in this case suggests an attempted extortion,” countered Rachel-Flore Pardo, the accuser’s lawyer. “My client welcomes this news with immense relief. We will not tolerate any smear or destabilisation campaign, as is unfortunately still too often the case for women who dare to report the rape of which they are victims.”
Born in Getafe, a suburb of Madrid, to Moroccan parents who migrated to Spain in the 1980s, Hakimi rose through Real Madrid’s youth academy before launching his professional career. He played for Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan before joining PSG in 2021.
On the international stage, Hakimi has been a cornerstone of Morocco’s footballing resurgence, helping the Atlas Lions reach the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a record for an African and an Arabian team.
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