The trial of Moroccan star Saad Lamjarred opened on Monday, February 20, before the Paris Assize Court. The singer is accused of rape by a young French woman and faces 20 years in prison. The facts date back to October 2016 and would have happened in the hotel room of Saad Lamjarred, then in France for a concert.
transcript of hearing, Marina of La Moissonniere
On the first day of his trial, Saad Lamjarred strives to give a smooth image of himself. Switching from Arabic to English in the middle of a sentence, he regularly slips in ” Madam President ” in French.
White shirt and black waistcoat, he politely describes his happy childhood in Morocco, between an actress mother who makes him laugh all the time, and a singer father, “ humble ” And ” open minded “, he specifies.
At 16, Saad Lamjarred left for the United States to ” pursue his dream to become an artist too. He began to be known after participating in a television show in Lebanon in 2007.
Since then, he has used his fame to convey positive messages, he says, and in particular respect for women. Invited to clarify his thoughts, he talks about the beauty of the Arab woman, her elegance, her intelligence and her complementary aspect to the man.
Saad Lamjarred always speaks calmly, sometimes with a small smile. His face closes, however, when the court mentions another rape case in which he was involved, in the United States.
Case which ended with a financial arrangement, and which Saad Lamjarred refuses to talk about. At the helm, his wife will say no more. Nothing either on the accusations of a Frenchwoman who also claims to have been raped by the singer, in August 2018.
The star’s wife is formal: Saad Lamjarred is innocent. ” I know him. I live with him. He did not do anything “, she repeats to the court. Behind Mr. Lamjarred, the young woman who accuses him, Laura, listens to him without looking at him, her eyes reddened. She burst into tears as soon as she entered the room.
► To read also: Opening in Paris of the trial of Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, accused of aggravated rape