Hakimi to be tried for rape: I am calmly awaiting the trial, which will allow the truth to come to light

Paris Saint-Germain footballer Achraf Hakimi will be tried for rape.

"Today, the rape charge is enough to justify a trial, even though I deny it and everything proves that the charge is false. This is as unfair to the innocent as it is to the real victims. I am calmly awaiting this trial, which will allow the truth to come out," Hakimi said on the social network X.

Hakimi is the vice-captain of Paris Saint-Germain and the captain of the Morocco national team.

The Nanterre prosecutor's office launched an investigation in 2023 after allegations of rape emerged.

At the end of February 2023, a young woman, then 24 years old, went to the Val de Marne police station where she reported that she had been raped, but did not file an official report.

Lawyer Fanny Colin said her client would appeal the court's decision, which followed recommendations from the Nanterre public prosecutor's office.

She added that no trial date has been set.

Prosecutor Rachel-Flore Pardo told The Associated Press that her client welcomed the order to proceed with the trial with relief, adding that it was fully consistent with the evidence in the case file.

In the French legal system, preliminary indictments mean that judges have strong reason to suspect a crime has been committed, but allow time for further investigation before deciding whether to send the case to trial.

"The trial is based solely on the accusation, which is based solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA testing, refused access to her cell phone, and refused to reveal the name of a key witness," Kolin said.

She added that two consecutive psychological assessments of the plaintiff revealed "a lack of clarity regarding the facts she alleges as incriminating and the absence of any post-traumatic symptoms."