PSG player Achraf Hakimi was indicted for rape on Thursday March 2, 2023. While he defends a completely different version than the young woman who accuses him, what does the Moroccan international risk criminally?
Achraf Hakimi is in turmoil. The PSG football player was indicted for rape this Thursday, March 2, 2023, announced the Nanterre prosecution. Since the first revelations of Parisianthe Moroccan international has continued to proclaim his innocence, his lawyer going so far as to denounce, this Friday, March 3, in a press release sent to The Team, “an attempt at racketeering” on the part of the 24-year-old young woman, who says she was raped on Saturday February 25 at the Boulogne-Billancourt home of Achraf Hakimi. But concretely, what does the player risk?
Indicted for rape, Achraf Hakimi faces a fifteen-year prison sentence, reports the site Legifrance. This is the basic sentence, because aggravating circumstances can be taken into account and in this case the maximum sentence is twenty years. Among these aggravating circumstances, one already seems to concern the player. “The perpetrator of the rape came into contact with the victim through the Internet”, it is indicated. However, Achraf Hakimi and his accuser would have met via social networks. To this, other aggravating circumstances could be added, in particular if the victim was particularly vulnerable or if the perpetrator of the rape was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, which is completely unknown to time.
In addition, additional penalties may be added. Among them, lists the site public service, we count the injunction of care within the framework of a socio-judicial follow-up, the prohibition of stay in certain places for ten years maximum, or the prohibition to exercise a public function. Finally, in the event of a conviction, it is entered in the criminal record, just as the name of the perpetrator of the rape is added to the file of perpetrators of sexual offences.
Indicted, can Achraf Hakimi play with PSG?
This court case has damaged the image of Achraf Hakimi and has shaken up the club in the capital. In a few days, Paris will move to the lawn of Bayern Munich to play in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Defeated 0-1 at the Parc des Princes in the first leg, Christophe Galthier’s players have no room for error, they who are still aiming for the coronation in European competition. But will they have their Moroccan international for this already crucial deadline?
Despite his indictment and his placement under judicial supervision, Achraf Hakimi may well be part of the group that will fly to Bavaria if his coach selects him. Indeed, judicial control is not accompanied by a ban on leaving the territory. The 24-year-old can therefore be perfectly aligned at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening. It remains to be seen whether Christophe Galthier will rely on his side: not sure that Hakimi has his head in football these days. However, he is present at PSG training. A first element on his condition should be given during the match against Nantes, Saturday, in the league, in Paris.
Hakimi accused of rape
What do we know about the rape charges against Achraf Hakimi?
According The Parisian, the facts would have taken place on Saturday February 25, in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine). This is where the footballer lives, very close to the Parc des Princes. After a discussion started on Instagram on January 16 and which had lasted for several weeks, Achraf Hakimi would have ordered a VTC for the young woman to go to her home. But things would have turned out badly, she explained. The 24-year-old allegedly forcefully kissed her mouth and breasts, lifting her clothes off. He would have, still according to his words relayed by The Parisian, carried out a digital penetration without his consent. She would have finally managed to push him away, before leaving the place.
Where is the investigation?
No complaint has been filed against Achraf Hakimi. The young woman who incriminates the footballer and testified on February 26 at the Nogent-sur-Marne police station (Val-de-Marne) did not wish to initiate proceedings, contenting herself with a “declaration of rape”. Justice, however, took the case on its own in view of the story of the alleged victim. The statements of the alleged victim would be sufficiently substantiated to characterize what is written into the law as a crime. The file, opened by the parquet floor of Créteil (Val-de-Marne), is now in the hands of that of Nanterre.
Who is the alleged victim?
The Parisian argues that the alleged victim is 24 years old and lives in Fontenay-sous-Bois (Val-de-Marne). She would have come into contact with Achraf Hakimi on January 16, via the social network Instagram. Since then, the two exchanged. Who started the discussion first? Had they met before? The survey should shed light on these various points.
How does Achraf Hakimi respond?
Achraf Hakimi has still not spoken publicly since the revelation of this affair. However, he made it known through the voice of his lawyer, Me Fanny Colin, in the columns of the Parisian, that “the accusations are false”. The black dress assured him: “serene”, his client “stands at the disposal of justice”. For its part, PSG united around its player: “The club is in support of the player who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts justice. PSG is an institution that promotes respect on and off the field. .”
Friday, the day after the indictment of Achraf Hakimi, Me Fanny Colin reacted again via a press release sent to The Team. “During his hearing, carried out at his express request, Achraf Hakimi firmly denied the accusations against him,” she insisted, recalling in passing that the indictment of his client, which followed his hearing, “ is a must for anyone who is the subject of an accusation of rape”. She was also delighted that this same indictment allowed the Moroccan international to obtain more rights, starting with “that of taking cognizance of the file”. The lawyer also denounced the fact that the accuser refuses, at this stage, any confrontation, but also to file a complaint and to submit to any examination, whether medical or psychological. And Me Fanny Colin concludes: “Mr. Hakimi has, in this case, been the subject of an attempted racketeering.”
What is a “report of rape”?
Achraf Hakimi is not, at this stage, the subject of a complaint, according to the details of the Parisian. The words of the alleged victim were therefore collected at the police station as part of a daybook. “Its purpose is not to prosecute the perpetrator, but to report the nature and date of the facts to the police. This can be useful in the context of a future trial,” the Justice Department said. This therefore did not result in a summons of the player. Moreover, the latter could not read the contents of the daybook.
This is no longer the case when there is an indictment. As explained to The Team Achraf Hakimi’s lawyer, “the indictment that followed [son] hearing is a must for anyone who is the subject of an accusation of rape and finally offers Mr. Hakimi the possibility of defending himself by giving him a large number of rights, in the first place that of acquainting himself with the file”.
Achraf Hakimi married with two children
This accusation against Achraf Hakimi arose after another weekend where the footballer remained away from the field. Injured since the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on February 14, he was not traveling to Marseille on Sunday evening to follow the Classico. Above all, the defender was alone throughout the weekend at his home, where he resides with his partner and his two children.
Indeed, as she posted on her Instagram account, Hiba Abouk, his wife, was in Dubai in recent days. The Moroccan’s companion, whose relationship dates back to 2018, had gone to the United Arab Emirates with their sons Amin (3 years old) and Naim (1 year old).