A French court has upheld the decision for Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi to stand trial over an alleged rape, a judicial source told AFP.
Hakimi, 27, had challenged the order that he face a criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department. His appeal to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court for civil and criminal matters, was his final legal avenue.
The Court of Cassation confirmed the decision on Wednesday. It follows a ruling by the Versailles appeals court on 19 June, during the World Cup, which determined that Hakimi should stand trial over the alleged rape of a woman in 2023.
Hakimi has repeatedly denied the accusation.
He was initially ordered to appear before the criminal court in February. He contested that decision before the appeals court and then took the case to the Court of Cassation after the Versailles court upheld the order in June.
Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP on Wednesday.
The lawyer representing the plaintiff, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client remained determined to pursue the case.
“After three and a half years of legal battles, after being slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi's defence, my client is determined to obtain justice; she will fight to the very end,” Pardo said in a statement sent to AFP.
The allegations date back to February 2023, when a woman who was then 24 told police in the Val-de-Marne region, south-east of Paris, that Hakimi had raped her.
According to a police source at the time, the woman said she had first met Hakimi on Instagram in January 2023 before travelling by taxi to his home. The taxi had been ordered by the player.
She alleged that Hakimi kissed her, touched her without consent and then raped her. She told police she was able to push him away before sending a text message to a friend, who came to collect her.
Hakimi was charged with rape several days later.