The public prosecutor’s office accuses Karim Benzema of aiding and abetting extortion
Source: AFP
Karim Benzema is currently shining in terms of sport. But off the pitch, the past catches up with him – he has to answer in court. It’s about blackmail. Benzema’s defense denies the allegations.
IIn the trial of attempted extortion with a sex video, the public prosecutor has demanded a ten-month suspended sentence for French national soccer player Karim Benzema for aiding and abetting. The Real Madrid striker is also said to pay a fine of € 75,000. The Versailles public prosecutor’s office confirmed this to the German press agency on Thursday.
The hearing will last until Friday. Benzema has not yet been present in person. In addition to him, four other men have had to answer in court since Wednesday. In contrast to Benzema, however, not because of aiding and abetting, but because of attempted blackmail, in one case also because of abuse of trust.
The allegations go back to June 2015. Back then, when French midfielder Mathieu Valbuena was called, threatened with the release of an intimate video that was supposed to feature him. The background should be a 25,000 euro debt from one of the men that should be paid. France Info reported that the suspect pulled the video from Valbuena’s phone.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, knowingly “part of a strategy”
The focus of the allegations against Benzema is a private conversation between him and Valbuena about the sex tape a few days after the call. Benzema is said to have tried to persuade his colleague to talk to a middleman. There was no talk about money, but it was clear, said Valbuena.
Mathieu Valbuena (left) and Karim Benzema played together in the French national team until the sextape affair
Source: AFP / FRANCK FIFE
Benzema was part of a strategy and knew this, the French broadcaster BFM TV quoted the public prosecutor as saying. Benzema’s defense had denied the allegations against him.
According to media reports, some of the defendants repeatedly stated in court that they merely wanted to help Valbuena prevent the sex video from being published. The public prosecutor’s office demanded several years’ imprisonment and fines for them.
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