French prosecutors have recommended that Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi be tried in criminal court over an alleged rape case dating back to 2023, an accusation the Paris Saint-Germain defender firmly denies.
On Friday, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office confirmed to AFP that they had formally asked the investigating judge to refer the rape charge to court.
“It is now up to the investigating magistrate to make a decision within the framework of his order,” the office said in a statement.
The 26-year-old full-back, who played a crucial role in PSG’s Champions League victory by netting the opening goal in the 5-0 win over Inter Milan in May, was initially charged in March 2023.
The allegation involves a 24-year-old woman who claimed that Hakimi assaulted her at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt on February 25, while his family was away.
The woman alleged that Hakimi paid for her to take a taxi to his residence after the pair reportedly connected on Instagram the previous month.
During the encounter, she said Hakimi initiated unwanted physical contact and proceeded to rape her, according to a police source cited by AFP.
She managed to contact a friend, who later picked her up. Though she declined to file a formal complaint, prosecutors moved forward with the charges.
Reacting to the prosecution’s latest move, Hakimi’s legal representative, Fanny Colin, dismissed the recommendation as unjustified.
“We, along with Achraf Hakimi, remain as calm as we were at the start of the proceedings,” she told AFP.
“If these requisitions were to be followed, we would obviously pursue all avenues of appeal.”
In contrast, the lawyer for the alleged victim, Rachel-Flore Pardo, expressed satisfaction with the development.
“My client welcomes this news with immense relief,” she said.
Hakimi, born in Madrid, rose through the ranks at Real Madrid before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2018.
After two successful seasons in the Bundesliga, he moved to Inter Milan in 2020 and later signed with PSG in 2021.
On the international stage, he was instrumental in Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a first for both an African and Arab nation.