The Achraf Hakimi case: from the 2023 allegation to the 2026 trial decision

Achraf Hakimi has been facing a rape allegation in France since 2023. More than three years later, a French appeals court confirmed today that Hakimi will face trial before a criminal court. Hakimi denies the accusation and says he has been targeted because of his public profile.

The case became public in February 2023, shortly after Hakimi’s appearance at the The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 in Paris.

A 24-year-old woman went to a police station near Paris and reported that Hakimi had raped her at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt. According to reports from French media, the two had first made contact through Instagram before meeting.

L’Équipe reported that two days after the alleged encounter, the accuser went to police not to formally press charges, but to leave a record because, in her words, she did not want “this to happen to other girls.”

She reportedly told investigators she did not want a medical examination and did not initially want to participate in a legal process.

However, under French law and changes in policy following the #MeToo movement, prosecutors can open and continue investigations into sexual violence allegations even without a formal complaint from the alleged victim.

Police later contacted the accuser again, but she refused to take part in the investigation. The case was transferred from the Créteil prosecutor’s office to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office because Hakimi lived in that jurisdiction.

Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the accuser and another her friend, reportedly contacted police to confirm that the accuser did not want to pursue charges. Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, also contacted investigators, saying her client wanted to give his version of events and was available for questioning.

The investigation then moved forward, with investigators reviewing CCTV footage and preparing interviews.

What the accuser told investigators

According to reports from French media, the accuser told investigators that she went to Hakimi’s home after he arranged transport for her.

The accuser said she did not want the encounter to become sexual and that she felt things went too far.

She told investigators that she did not clearly say no at every moment or show her discomfort openly, but said she felt unable to leave or stop what was happening.

She alleged that Hakimi became too forceful, touched her despite her refusal, and forced a sexual act. She later contacted her friend and reported the incident to police.

Hakimi’s defence has rejected that account, arguing that the encounter was consensual and that the accusation was false. Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, has described the case as an attempted extortion and has argued that elements of the investigation support her client’s version.

The messages examined in the investigation

A major controversy in the case came from messages reportedly found during the investigation.

L’Équipe reported that when police interviewed the accuser’s friend, investigators asked to see her phone and discovered messages exchanged between the two women that had not initially been provided to police.

Some messages were interpreted by Hakimi’s defence as raising questions about the accuser’s intentions before the meeting.

In messages sent before the encounter, her friend allegedly encouraged her to approach Hakimi confidently, writing about going in “mode femme fatale” and trying to get information such as access codes.

Other messages reportedly included phrases such as “we’re going to strip him.”

Hakimi’s lawyer later described this as “an attempt to hide the truth.”

The accuser’s side disputed that interpretation, saying that the messages were private conversations between friends and that they did not prove any plan to extort Hakimi.

The accuser later agreed to a psychological evaluation on September 12, 2023.

Psychologist Anne Parachout wrote that the accuser’s account appeared “sincere and authentic” and that she showed no “real tendency toward fabrication or mythomania.”

However, the psychologist also noted that these observations did not establish whether the alleged facts were true.

The report stated that the accuser appeared to be more upset about the media exposure surrounding the case than about Hakimi himself, and questioned that she did not use language typically associated with someone describing a sexual assault but instead spoke more about a perceived lack of consideration.

The appeals court rejected Hakimi’s request to stop the case from moving forward and decided that there was enough evidence for the case to be examined by a criminal court.

The trial will be the stage where prosecutors, the alleged victim and Hakimi’s defence present their arguments and evidence before a final judgment.

Hakimi has said he had been waiting for the trial so he could defend himself publicly. He continues to deny the accusation.