French prosecutors on Friday requested that Paris Saint-Germain footballer Achraf Hakimi be brought to trial over the alleged rape of a woman in 2023 — an accusation the Moroccan international has denied.
According to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office, they have formally asked the investigating judge 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 prosecutor’s office told AFP in a statement.
Hakimi, 26, was instrumental in PSG’s journey to their first-ever Champions League title, scoring the opening goal in the 5-0 final victory over Inter Milan in May.
He was also a key figure in Morocco’s historic advancement to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
In March 2023, Hakimi was formally charged with raping a 24-year-old woman. The incident allegedly occurred on February 25, 2023, when Hakimi reportedly invited the woman to his residence in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, while his wife and children were away.
The woman later reported the incident to the police, alleging rape, and gave a statement. Although she did not file a formal complaint, prosecutors proceeded with pressing charges.
She informed authorities that she initially connected with Hakimi via Instagram in January 2023. On the night in question, she reportedly took a taxi, paid for by Hakimi, to visit him. She alleged that he initiated unwanted physical advances and sexually assaulted her, a police source told AFP.
She said she eventually broke away and contacted a friend to come and get her.
When contacted after the prosecutors’ latest move, Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, called the decision “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,” she said, adding, “If these requisitions were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal.”
Colin also claimed her client had “been the target of an attempted extortion.”
However, Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the woman, responded by saying, “Nothing in this case suggests an attempted extortion.”
“My client welcomes this news with immense relief,” she told AFP, adding, “We will not tolerate any smear or destabilisation campaign, as is unfortunately still too often the case for women who have the courage to report the rape of which they are victims.”
Hakimi, born in Getafe, a southern suburb of Madrid, is the son of Moroccan immigrants — a cleaner and a street vendor — who moved to Spain in the 1980s. He came through the youth academy at Real Madrid and later joined Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in 2018, where he made 73 appearances.
He signed for Inter Milan in 2020 before transferring to PSG in 2021, quickly becoming a key player for the French side.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Hakimi played a pivotal role in Morocco’s groundbreaking run to the semi-finals — a first for any African or Arab nation.