Achraf Hakimi’s lawyer sharply criticized a French court’s decision to send the Morocco international to trial over an alleged rape dating to February 2023, arguing the referral rests “solely” on the complainant’s account and claiming she impeded investigators and failed to provide any evidence or witnesses.
In a written statement, attorney Fanny Colin said the trial order was issued “on the basis of an accusation that rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA testing, refused to allow her mobile phone to be examined, and refused to provide the name of a key witness.”
Colin further contended that two successive psychological assessments of the complainant “revealed a lack of clarity regarding the facts she claims to denounce, as well as the absence of any post-traumatic symptoms.”
The defense also pointed to message exchanges between the complainant and a third party that it says shed additional light on her intentions toward the Paris Saint-Germain defender.
Colin alleged the woman “attempted to conceal from the judicial authority several messages exchanged with one of her friends projecting to ‘dépouiller’ [‘strip’] Mr. Hakimi.”
The case was sent to trial on Tuesday, marking a new phase in proceedings over an incident the complainant says occurred in February 2023. Hakimi has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Posting on social media, the 27-year-old wrote: “Today, an accusation of rape is enough to justify a trial, even though I contest it and everything proves that it is false… I calmly await this trial, which will allow the truth to come out publicly.”
“We await this trial determined and combative so that justice may be done,” Colin said, without specifying a hearing date.
