Saad Lamjarred rape trial Var assizes new accuser

The case dates back to the night of August 26, 2018, near Saint-Tropez. Anne, a former barmaid now 37 years old, agreed to follow the artist to his hotel room after a heavily alcohol-fueled evening. While the journey went smoothly, the complainant claims she was then pushed onto the bed and raped while she was "paralyzed with fear." For his part, the 40-year-old singer insists the relationship was consensual. Faced with these contradictory accounts, the prosecution relies on text messages seeking help sent to a friend and medical expertise confirming psychological trauma.

On Bladi.net : Saad Lamjarred: his rape trial is interrupted before it even opens

This judicial hearing, delayed since December for medical reasons concerning the court’s presidency, marks the end of a very long wait for the complainant. Her lawyer, Me Dominique-Jean Lardans, told 20minutes that his client "eagerly awaits for this to end." The stakes are even higher as the counsel reports settlement attempts during the investigation, claiming that someone close to the accused offered money in exchange for the young woman’s silence.

On Bladi.net : Saad Lamjarred case: the plaintiff prosecuted for demanding 3 million euros in exchange for silence

The performer, a true star in the Arab world, is not facing justice for such matters for the first time. In 2023, he already received six years in prison in Paris for rape, a conviction he appealed, while former cases in the United States and Morocco have marked his history. At the Draguignan assizes, the civil party must nonetheless convince a public prosecutor initially reluctant. The prosecution had indeed requested a dismissal during the investigation, before the courts imposed this trial by recalling that entering a man’s room in no way constitutes consent.