Saad Lamjarred appeals 2023 rape conviction in France
Moroccan pop star Saad Lamjarred returned to the Val-de-Marne Court of Appeal on Monday to contest his 2023 rape conviction. The court in Créteil is expected to deliver its decision by the end of the week.
The case relates to an incident in October 2016. A 20-year-old woman accused Lamjarred of raping and assaulting her in a Paris hotel after meeting him at a nightclub. The Paris Assize Court had found him guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison.
Lamjarred, now 40, appeared in court under judicial supervision. He denies any non-consensual act. He admitted to pushing the woman’s face but claimed he did so because she scratched him during a kiss. He maintains there was no sexual intercourse.
For the plaintiff, this trial marks a critical moment. “This new trial means everything,” said her lawyers, Victorien de Faria and David Chemmi, in a statement to AFP. “It’s about finally achieving justice after nearly a decade.” They called the proceedings emotionally draining, noting that their client must revisit a traumatic episode nine years after the fact.
Lamjarred’s legal team, represented by Zoé Royaux and Christian Saint-Palais, declined all media requests.
This case is not isolated. Lamjarred also faces another trial in Draguignan, in southern France, over a 2018 accusation in Saint-Tropez. A trial date has not been announced.
He has faced past accusations in New York and Casablanca under similar circumstances, although none led to trial.
Despite the legal challenges, Lamjarred continues to attract large audiences. However, for many, his stardom stands in sharp contrast to the unresolved allegations shadowing his career.
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