cornered.
The Moroccan defender
Achraf Hakimi ,
Lionel Messi
's teammate at Paris Saint Germain and one of
Kylian Mbappé
's best friends
, was formally accused of the alleged rape of a 24-year-old girl last weekend, in a procedure that is underway. before the Court of Nanterre, in France.
Hakimi, who denies the facts and whose lawyers denounced a
"blackmail"
campaign against the footballer, was charged on Thursday afternoon, according to the Nanterre Prosecutor's Office on Friday.
The Public Ministry also specified the semifinalist in the Qatar 2020 World Cup will be released, although
a restriction was imposed on the young woman who accused him.
Achraf Hakimi beamed at The Best awards gala.
Photo: AP
The Nanterre Prosecutor's Office had opened an investigation against Hakimi after, last weekend, the alleged victim appeared at the Nogent-sur-Marne police station and recounted the facts, although without filing a complaint
.
According to her testimony, the young woman had come into contact with the footballer on January 16 through social networks and, last Saturday, on the eve of a decisive league duel for her team against Olympique de Marseille, which the Moroccan was lost due to injury, he invited her to his home in Boulogne-Billancourt, on the outskirts of Paris.
The woman went on board an Uber that the soccer player requested and, once at her house,
he went too far
: he kissed her on the lips despite her refusal, lifted her clothes and kissed her breasts and even inserted his fingers into her the vagina, and that although she resisted, according to her version.
The girl pointed out that she managed to get rid of her attacker with a kick and sent a message to a friend, who immediately went looking for her and rescued her.
Achraf Hakimi during the game for third place in the World Cup in Qatar against Croatia.
Photo: AP
the two versions
After learning of the footballer's formal accusation, his lawyer, Fanny Colin, issued a statement stressing that
her client "firmly denies the accusations"
and alleging that the accusation is an automatic step in this type of case that will allow them "the possibility of defending themselves". .
"He refused to file a complaint, he refused to submit to the slightest medical and psychological examination and he rejected a confrontation with Achraf Hakimi, so the accusation is based exclusively on his statements," the lawyer stressed in the message to which the EFE agency had
access
.
In Colin's opinion, in fact, Hakimi is being
"the subject of an attempted blackmail."
In response, the young woman's lawyer (whose name was not made public), Rachel-Flore Pardo, warned that they will not tolerate any "
denigration or destabilization campaign against her, as unfortunately continues to happen all too often with women who have the courage to denounce acts of rape".
"We would like to point out that an indictment is never automatic. In this specific case, its prosecution shows that the investigating judge considered that there were serious and concordant indications of the commission of the crime of rape of which my client is a victim," Pardo highlighted. in a comment sent to EFE.
Hakimi and his future at PSG
Hakimi in training this Friday at PSG.
PHOTO: Franck FIFE / AFP
The news of the accusation came to light this Friday morning, while Hakimi joined PSG group training for the first time after his injury.
In the usual press conference prior to the next day of the French league, in which PSG, leader of the table, faces Nantes,
the coach of the Parisian team, Christophe Galtier, refused to make statements about the legal situation of the international. Moroccan.
"I will not answer any questions about Achraf Hakimi's extra-sports aspects
," Galtier said, before adding that "the club has already communicated the situation," referring to the fact that when it was learned at the beginning of the week that the player was being investigated, he showed support for the defense and expressed his confidence in Justice.
Galtier limited himself to confirming that Hakimi participated in the training session with the group and that he plans to handle the situation "as normal".
Questioned about the atmosphere in training, the coach said that the players were "serious" to "prepare for the match" for matchday 26 of the league.
He added that he hopes Hakimi will be available for Wednesday's decisive Champions League second leg against Bayern Munich, although the Moroccan defender, born in Madrid in 1998, will not play this weekend's clash against Nantes because it is in the works. of recovery.
Source: EFE
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