Paris court rejects appeal, orders PSG and Morocco player Hakimi to stand trial over alleged rape

 

France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, has rejected the final appeal from Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, officially requiring him to proceed to trial on rape charges. 

The decision, delivered on September 23, 2026, closes off the footballer's remaining legal options to have the case dismissed.

The allegations originate from a February 2023 incident in which a woman accused Hakimi of assaulting her at his residence in a Paris suburb. Hakimi has steadfastly proclaimed his innocence throughout the legal process. 

Following the supreme court's determination, his legal representatives expressed that the trial will serve as a transparent venue to present all evidence supporting his defense. The trial is anticipated to occur before a criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.

The plaintiff's attorney, Rachel-Flore Pardo, communicated in a statement provided to a news outlet. "After three and a half years of legal proceedings, after enduring slander and being subjected to public scrutiny by Achraf Hakimi's defense team, my client remains resolute in her pursuit of justice; she will persist in her fight," 

In February 2023, a woman who was 24 years old at the time reported to police in the Val-de-Marne region, located southeast of Paris, that Hakimi had assaulted her.

The plaintiff explained that she made contact with Hakimi in January 2023 through Instagram and subsequently traveled to his residence in a taxi that the player had arranged, according to information from a police source at that time.