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The three-day trial will see 33-year-old Benzema within the dock alongside 4 males alleged to have tried to blackmail midfielder Valbuena over a ‘sex-tape’ video involving the athlete.
Benzema is accused of pressuring Valbuena — his then-teammate on the French nationwide crew — to pay blackmailers to forestall the video from going public.
In accordance with paperwork from the prosecutor’s workplace, in 2015, Valbuena acquired an nameless name on the French nationwide crew’s coaching floor exterior Paris.
The caller sought to “make an association” with Valbuena over the alleged video however would solely achieve this if the soccer participant appointed a trusted middleman.
Somewhat than comply, Valbuena filed a police criticism, after which the footballer says he acquired additional calls and messages from the nameless blackmailer, reiterating the necessity for a trusted intermediary to “type out this downside,” in keeping with paperwork from the prosecutor’s workplace.
Complicity in tried blackmail
If discovered responsible, Benzema faces a most five-year jail sentence and a doable fantastic of 75,000 euros ($87,000), in keeping with the prosecutor’s workplace.
Of the 5 males on trial, Benzema is the one defendant going through the lesser cost of “complicity in tried blackmail.” The 4 different males are all going through a cost of “tried blackmail” together with two who may face harsher sentencing for having already dedicated an identical or an identical crime.
Valbuena can be attending the trial, his lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins advised CNN, who added that the footballer had, “all the time requested that there be a public trial in order that this case permits him to permit the general public to totally perceive that he’s the sufferer of the information which can be being judged.”
On the alternative bench, Benzema’s lawyer Sylvain Cormier advised CNN: “We count on the trial to lastly convey to mild the absurdity of the costs in opposition to Karim Benzema.”
Benzema is not going to be in court docket on Wednesday, in keeping with his lawyer. “He can be represented in court docket,” Cornier advised CNN.
When the investigation first began, Benzema denied the allegations.
Return to worldwide soccer
As a part of this case, Benzema was put below formal investigation in November 2015, in keeping with paperwork from the prosecutor, quickly after which he was suspended from the French nationwide crew, some seven months in need of the 2016 European Championships.
French Soccer Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet took a “private choice” to exclude Benzema from the crew, following his alleged involvement within the blackmail of Valbuena.
Some 5 years after the preliminary police criticism, Benzema was restored to the French nationwide aspect for the Euro 2020 event, the place Les Bleus had been knocked out on penalties by Switzerland. Benzema scored 4 objectives within the event.
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