The French judiciary has settled the controversy. Its final decision refers Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain defender, to a criminal trial on a charge of rape in the case dating back to 2023, a development that may see his former team-mate Kylian Mbappé summoned to give testimony.
France's highest court on Wednesday upheld the ruling of the Versailles Court of Appeal issued on 19 June, rejecting the appeal submitted by the international player's lawyers. He has now exhausted all legal avenues to avoid standing trial.
The case dates back to February 2023, when a young woman aged 24 filed a complaint accusing Hakimi of assaulting her inside his home in the Boulogne-Billancourt area, one of the suburbs of the capital Paris. The pair had become acquainted through social media.
Under this final decision, Hakimi will appear before the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department, most likely in the city of Nanterre. A date has not yet been set.
Mbappé at the heart of the case
According to Spanish radio station "Cadena COPE", the biggest surprise in this file is the role the current Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé may play. The French star is expected to be summoned as a key witness in the trial, after the defence previously presented his testimony to investigators.
Investigators questioned Mbappé, Hakimi's team-mate at Paris Saint-Germain at the time, on 14 April 2023. He said that Hakimi told him on the night of the incident that they had exchanged kisses by mutual consent. The investigating judge initially relied on these statements to support the complainant's account and issue the trial order.
Hakimi's defence later attempted to provide a new clarification, through a message from Mbappé in which he explained that Hakimi did not touch the complainant's private parts. It was an attempt to deny any non-consensual sexual connotation, but the clarification was not enough to convince the Court of Appeal, which upheld the trial ruling.
The complainant's defence: justice will prevail
For her part, the complainant's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, welcomed the decision of the highest court. She said in a statement to the Spanish news agency "EFE": "After three and a half years of legal battles, and after my client was subjected to defamation, she is certain that justice will be achieved and she will fight until the end."
The lawyer added: "My client hopes that this trial will help other women, and that it will contribute to breaking the wall of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, even in the world of professional football."
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Hakimi, meanwhile, still holds to his account from the beginning, denying any relationship and admitting only that a mutually consensual embrace and kisses took place. The complainant maintains in her complaint that she was subjected to kissing and touching against her will before she was able to escape and call a friend to come and collect her.