French Supreme Court rejects Achraf Hakimi appeal, ordering rape trial

Final appeal dismissed

The French Cour de cassation rejected an appeal on 23 September 2026 by Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, confirming that the footballer must stand trial for rape. The decision from France's highest judicial court exhausts the last remaining avenue of appeal available to Hakimi within the French legal system. The 27-year-old Moroccan international, who was born in Madrid in November 1998, will face trial before the departmental criminal court of Hauts-de-Seine. Hakimi has denied the accusations throughout the investigation, consistently stating that the allegations made against him are false. The ruling concludes months of appeals that followed the initial judicial order to send the case to trial.

Origins of the investigation

The case dates to February 2023, when a young woman went to a police station in Val-de-Marne to report that Hakimi had raped her. According to the court order from the Versailles Court of Appeal, the complainant, then 24 years old, first made contact with the footballer in January 2023 through the social media platform Instagram. On the evening of 24 February 2023, she travelled to Hakimi's residence in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb southwest of Paris, using a private hire vehicle that the player had ordered for her. Following the police report, French authorities opened a formal investigation into the alleged incident. Hakimi was subsequently placed under investigation while continuing his sporting career with Paris Saint-Germain.

Appellate route through the French courts

In February 2026, an investigating judge at the Nanterre judicial court issued an initial order directing Hakimi to stand trial before the Hauts-de-Seine departmental criminal court. Hakimi's legal team challenged that order before the Versailles Court of Appeal. On 19 June 2026, while Hakimi was competing with the Morocco national team at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the Versailles court dismissed his appeal and upheld the trial referral. Hakimi filed a subsequent appeal in cassation one week later. On 23 September 2026, the Cour de cassation rejected that final filing, concluding that no serious grounds existed to admit the petition.

Reactions from legal teams

Following the rejection of Hakimi's cassation filing, lawyers representing the complainant released a statement welcoming the court's confirmation of the trial. Lawyer Rachel-Flore Pardo commented on her client's resolve following the extended proceedings.

After three and a half years of legal battle, after being slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi's defence, my client is determined to obtain justice, she will fight until the end.

Lawyer Bertrand Périer, who represented the complainant before the Cour de cassation, stated that the ruling demonstrated the thoroughness of the earlier appellate decision.

This decision reflects the solidity and rigor of the reasoning of the Court of Appeal.

Hakimi's defense lawyer, Fanny Colin, did not immediately issue a public comment when contacted on Wednesday regarding the high court's decision.

Sporting schedule and pending proceedings

The trial before the Hauts-de-Seine departmental criminal court will proceed on dates to be scheduled by the French judicial authorities. In the meantime, Hakimi, who serves as vice-captain for Paris Saint-Germain, joined the Morocco national team squad for international competition. The Moroccan team is set to contest two qualification matches for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, facing Gabon on 25 September 2026 and Lesotho on 29 September 2026. The legal proceedings will move forward in France while the player fulfills his national team commitments.