Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi will stand trial over a rape allegation after France’s highest court rejected his final appeal on Wednesday. The Cour de cassation, France’s highest court for criminal and civil matters, ruled that there were no serious grounds to admit Hakimi’s appeal. A judicial source told AFP that the court followed the advice of the rapporteur and the conclusions of the advocate general.
The case dates back to February 2023, when a then 24-year-old woman accused Hakimi of raping her at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt. The pair had met on Instagram and she visited him late one evening. Hakimi, who is also captain of Morocco, has consistently denied the allegation, maintaining that the encounter was consensual. An investigating judge ordered him to stand trial in February 2026.
Hakimi’s lawyer before the Cour de cassation, Bertrand Périer, confirmed the decision in a statement. Périer said the court had rejected Hakimi’s appeal, judging that no serious means were of a nature to allow its admission. The complainant’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client remained determined to pursue the case after more than three and a half years.
Pardo said her client had been slandered and dragged through the mud by Hakimi’s defence, but she was determined to obtain justice. She hopes that the trial will help other women and crack the fortress of denial and impunity for sexual violence, even in the world of men’s football. Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, however, stressed that the merits of the case had not been examined by the Cour de cassation.
Colin said the facts reproached to Hakimi, which he has firmly contested from the first day, would be examined during the trial. She alleged that the complainant’s side had obstructed efforts to establish the facts, citing the alleged concealment of messages and refusal to provide the identity of a key witness. Colin said Hakimi had fully cooperated with the police and judicial authorities.
The Versailles Court of Appeal had upheld the decision to send Hakimi to trial in June. Hakimi subsequently appealed to the Cour de cassation, which has now rejected his final appeal. The trial will take place before a criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
The decision to send Hakimi to trial was earlier reported by PUNCH Online. Hakimi’s case has garnered significant attention, with many following the developments closely. The trial is expected to draw significant interest from the football community and beyond.
Key points
- France’s highest court has rejected Achraf Hakimi’s final appeal, clearing the way for a trial over a rape allegation.
- Hakimi has consistently denied the allegation, maintaining that the encounter was consensual.
- The trial will take place before a criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
