Achraf Hakimi to face trial after Court of Cassation rejects appeal

Achraf Hakimi will face trial over a rape allegation after France’s Court of Cassation rejected the Paris Saint Germain defender’s appeal against a decision to refer the case to a criminal court.

The Moroccan international had challenged a decision made in June to send the case to the Hauts de Seine departmental criminal court. The case concerns alleged events dating back to 2023.

The Court of Cassation rejected Hakimi’s appeal on Wednesday, according to a report by AFP, meaning the proceedings can now continue before the criminal court.

Bertrand Périer, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, confirmed the decision in a statement reported by AFP.

“The Court of Cassation has rejected Achraf Hakimi’s appeal,” the lawyer said, adding that the court had found that “no serious grounds existed to allow its admission.”

The appeal focused on the decision to refer Hakimi to the departmental criminal court. The latest ruling does not determine whether the allegations against the player are proven.

Hakimi denies the accusations against him and remains presumed innocent. The allegations will now be considered during proceedings before the Hauts de Seine departmental criminal court.

No date has yet been announced for the trial.

The Court of Cassation’s decision brings the appeal process over the referral to an end and clears the way for the case to proceed to trial.

Hakimi had been challenging the earlier decision that the case should be heard by the departmental criminal court. His appeal sought to contest that referral, but the highest court in France’s judicial system has now rejected the challenge.

The decision does not amount to a finding of guilt against the Paris Saint Germain defender. The facts at the centre of the case will still have to be examined during the trial.

The proceedings relate to allegations concerning events in 2023. Hakimi has consistently denied the accusations.

The Moroccan defender remains presumed innocent as the legal process continues, with the next major stage expected to be the hearing before the Hauts de Seine departmental criminal court.

The date and further details of the hearing have not yet been announced.

The Court of Cassation’s ruling therefore allows the case to move forward, while questions surrounding the allegations themselves remain for the criminal court to examine.