Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi is set to stand trial over a rape allegation after France’s highest court rejected his final appeal on Wednesday.
The decision by the Cour de cassation clears the way for proceedings before the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department. The court ruled that there were no serious grounds warranting consideration of Hakimi’s appeal.
Hakimi’s lawyer, Bertrand Périer, confirmed the decision in a statement, saying:
“The Cour de cassation has rejected Achraf Hakimi’s appeal, judging that no serious means were of a nature to allow its admission, in accordance with the opinion of the rapporteur and the conclusions of the advocate general,” Périer said.
The latest ruling follows a June decision by the Versailles Court of Appeal, which upheld Hakimi’s referral to a criminal court over the allegation involving a woman in 2023. Hakimi has consistently denied the allegation and maintains his innocence.
The complainant’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client remains determined to pursue the case and obtain justice.
“After three and a half years of judicial combat, after having been slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi’s defence, my client is determined to obtain justice, she will fight to the end,” Pardo said.
“She hopes with all her heart that this trial will help other women, and crack a little more the fortress of denial and impunity for sexual violence, even in the world of men’s football,” she added.
The case will now proceed to trial, where the allegations and evidence will be examined by the court. Hakimi remains presumed innocent unless and until a court determines otherwise.
