SOCCER
PSG defender Achraf Hakimi claims to have been “set up” in rape case
The Moroccan international is the subject of a criminal investigation in Paris following accusations of sexual assault against him.
Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi has yet to speak out publicly after being charged with rape in France. However, according to Spanish television programme Fiesta, the former Real Madrid youngster has spoken to friends and given them his version of what happened with the young woman who has made the accusations against him.
Hakimi claims to have been ”tricked”
According to Fiesta, one of the Moroccan defender’s closest friends has had the opportunity to speak to him about the incident, in which Hakimi claims “to have been set up”. The same friend has also said that the World Cup star had told him that he had felt as if he had been “tricked” before the news broke publicly.
For now, Hakimi has yet to comment publicly on the charges, as has his wife, Hiba Abouk. The Spanish actress has, however, deleted some photos in which she appears with her husband on social media.
Official investigation ongoing
The PSG player is still awaiting the findings of an official investigation which has been opened by the Prosecutor’s Office in Nanterre, a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, after the alleged victim went to a police station in Val-de-Marne, on the other side of the French capital, to report the incident. She ultimately opted not to file a complaint or undergo any medical examinations that she was offered, but nevertheless the authorities considered that the evidence she presented was enough to warrant an investigation.
According to the 24-year-old woman, she and Hakimi had started speaking on Instagram in January and finally decided to meet on 25 February after she had previously rejected invites to go for dinner and to a nightclub with him in Paris. The PSG right-back had sent a taxi to pick her up and, once they were both at his house, the situation began to get out of hand.
Hakimi’s lawyer rejects claims
“Things got out of control. Achraf kissed her on the mouth, lifted up clothes, and kissed her breasts despite her saying ‘no’. He also touched her genitals despite her resisting, once again,” stated French newspaper Le Parisien. Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, claimed that her client was “calm and prepared to cooperate” and that he was the victim of “a blackmail attempt”.