French Court Orders Review in Moroccan Singer’s Rape Case

A new twist in the case of rape of which the Moroccan singer, Saâd Lamjarred, is accused. In April 2019, an order issued by a Parisian investigating judge had reclassified the facts in the singer’s file from "rape" to "sexual assault" and "aggravated violence", and had referred him to the criminal court. In January 2020, a bombshell! The Paris Court of Appeal overturned this order, ruling that the singer should be tried for "rape" and therefore before an assize court.

And a new episode opens today. According to information revealed by Le Parisien, "the annulment is explained by an error in the form and not on the merits". Saad Lamjarred’s lawyers felt that the order had not complied with the Code of Criminal Procedure since it had not been signed by the president of the investigating chamber. This does not mean, however, the end of this rape case which dates back to October 2016. The successful Moroccan singer would have sexually assaulted a young woman in his hotel room, a few days before a big concert in Paris.

With these new elements, the file returns to the investigating chamber of Paris. This time, it will be in the hands of new magistrates who will "decide whether the singer’s fate will be sealed at the assize court or not". The defense of the plaintiff considered it implausible that a "technical error could have occurred to this degree in the judicial hierarchy, and intends to plead once again for a referral to the assize court," the same source said.