Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema will stand trial outside Paris from Wednesday after he was accused of trying to blackmail former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.
Benzema is facing trial for complicity in attempted blackmail. Four others, including one of the player’s childhood friends, have been charged with attempting to blackmail.
The charges carry up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($87,400). Benzema has denied wrongdoing.
During interrogation, Benzema, 33, admitted that he acted as a mediator between one of the alleged blackmailers, his friend Karim Genati, and Valbuena, who now plays for Greek club Olympiakos.
But Benzema also told investigators that he took no part in the blackmail and that his involvement was limited only to telling Valbuena about the existence of the sex tape out of friendship.
It is unclear whether Benzema will be physically present at the trial in Versailles from Wednesday to Friday. Real Madrid were playing in Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday and Benzema traveled and trained with his team in Kiev before the match.
Valbuena first filed a police complaint in June 2015. He said that while on international duty for France, at his training base in Clarefontaine, he was called by an unknown caller, who had talked about the sex tapes and told him that he could come for arrangements. . The caller asked Valbuena to appoint a trusted arbitrator to work out the details.
With a police detective posing as an interlocutor, the investigation initially identified three people: Axel Angot, Mustafa Zouai and Yunus Haus, all now on trial for attempted blackmail. Their communications were wire-taped.
Benzema is later brought in by Zenati, a friend who has a previous drug and robbery conviction and was released from prison in 2013.
While the two were on international duty in October 2015, Benzema asked Valbuena to negotiate in his room in Clarefontaine, which led Valbuena to conclude that his France teammate was involved with the alleged blackmailers and acted as their mediator. was doing.
Police say they heard Benzema tell Zenati in a wire-tap call that evening that Valbuena was not taking us seriously.
Benzema later told the investigating magistrate that he only wanted to help the midfielder.
Benzema and Zenati were both handed initial charges in November 2015, joining Angot, Zouai and Haus as part of a formal investigation.
Benzema was then dropped from the France national team by coach Didier Deschamps, missing from the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup, which France won.
Deschamps recalled Benzema ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament in May and has fielded him 11 times so far in 2021.
Valbuena, now 37, has not played for France since October 11, 2015, when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against Denmark.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.
.