Final appeal rejected

The Court of Cassation, France's highest judicial authority for criminal matters, rejected an appeal by Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi on 23 September 2026. The ruling confirms that the 27-year-old Moroccan international will stand trial before the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department, likely in Nanterre. Hakimi had sought to overturn a decision issued on 19 June 2026 by the Versailles Court of Appeal, which upheld an initial February order sending the case to trial. The Court of Cassation's decision leaves the footballer with no remaining legal avenues to prevent the trial from taking place.

The 2023 allegations

The case stems from an incident that took place at Hakimi's residence in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris, on the night of 24 February 2023. According to court records, the complainant, who was 24 years old at the time, had met Hakimi on Instagram in January 2023 and travelled to his home in a taxi ordered by the player. The woman reported to police the following day in Val-de-Marne that Hakimi kissed her on the mouth, lifted her clothing, kissed her breasts, and penetrated her digitally without consent. She stated that she broke free by kicking him and sent a text message to a friend, who came to pick her up. Hakimi was formally charged with rape a few days after the initial police report.

Hakimi has firmly denied the rape allegations throughout the three-and-a-half-year investigation, acknowledging only mutual kissing and consensual contact.

Witness testimony and evidentiary disputes

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, a close friend and former PSG teammate of Hakimi, may be summoned as a witness during the criminal trial. The defense previously introduced Mbappé's testimony during the appeals process in an effort to establish that the interaction between Hakimi and the complainant was consensual. Mbappé told investigators that Hakimi described kissing and touching the woman that night without her pulling away, before later stating the contact did not involve intimate areas. The court in Nanterre rejected that revised account during earlier proceedings.

Writing on social media after the June appeals ruling, Hakimi expressed a desire to address the case directly.

“Finally, I will be able to speak.”

Legal counsel responses

Following the high court decision, the complainant's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, issued a statement emphasizing her client's resolve after extensive legal proceedings.

“Achraf Hakimi will therefore stand trial for rape. After three and a half years of legal proceedings, after being slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi's defense, my client is determined to obtain justice and will fight to the very end.”

Pardo added that her client hopes the trial will help other women and crack the fortress of denial surrounding sexual violence in professional football. Bertrand Périer, representing the civil party before the appeals court, stated that the ruling confirmed the strength of the appellate reasoning. Hakimi's defense counsel, Fanny Colin, stated that the Court of Cassation only ruled on procedure rather than the substance of the accusations.

“The allegations against Achraf Hakimi, which he has firmly denied since the beginning, have not been examined by the Court of Cassation. They will be covered at the trial, during which all of the evidence supporting Mr Achraf Hakimi's defence will be presented publicly and in the presence of both parties.”

Colin reiterated that Hakimi, who was recently nominated for the Ballon d'Or ahead of the October ceremony in London, has cooperated fully with authorities throughout the investigation. While the trial date has not yet been set, proceedings could take place next year.