Moroccan Singer’s Rape Trial Postponed as New Evidence Emerges

Accused of rape by Laura Prioul, a young French woman, Saad Lamjarred was supposed to learn his fate this Friday. But the court decided to postpone the examination of this case. This decision came following the presentation, by the Moroccan singer’s defense, of new evidence relating to an attempted "blackmail" of which he was allegedly a victim by people close to the alleged victim.

At the end of 2024, people from Laura’s entourage contacted Saad Lamjarred directly and indirectly to demand three million euros in exchange for withdrawing her complaint, according to a statement from Saad Lamjarred’s artistic management. The appeals court in Créteil decided to open an independent judicial investigation to shed light on the details of this alleged arrangement.

For his part, the Moroccan star plans to file an official complaint with the competent French authorities, due to "the seriousness of these facts which could constitute a crime of attempted blackmail within an organized network". As a reminder, Saad Lamjarred was sentenced in February 2023 by the Paris criminal court to six years in prison in this case of rape and violence against a young French woman, which occurred in 2016 in a hotel in the French capital.

During the trial that opened on Monday, the Moroccan star again denied the allegations against him. "I told you the truth from the bottom of my heart, I did not do what I am accused of," he insisted. The French prosecutor had requested a 7-year prison sentence against Saad Lamjarred, as well as a ban on entering French territory for a period of five years.