Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi is set to face trial in France after the country’s highest court rejected his final appeal against a decision sending him before a criminal court over a rape allegation.
The Cour de cassation dismissed Hakimi’s appeal on Wednesday, September 23, confirming that proceedings can now move forward before the Hauts-de-Seine departmental criminal court. French sports newspaper L’Équipe reported that the court found no serious legal grounds warranting admission of the appeal.
The ruling represents the latest stage in a legal case that began in 2023 and has continued through several levels of the French judicial system.
Hakimi had challenged the decision to send him to trial after the Versailles Court of Appeal upheld the referral in June 2026. He subsequently took the case to the Cour de cassation, France’s highest court for civil and criminal matters, in what became his final avenue of appeal.
The case centres on an allegation made by a woman concerning an incident at Hakimi’s home near Paris in February 2023. Hakimi has consistently denied the allegation.
The latest ruling does not determine whether Hakimi is guilty or innocent. The Cour de cassation did not examine the substance of the allegations; its decision concerned the legal appeal against the referral for trial. His defence has emphasised that the facts will be examined during the forthcoming proceedings.
Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, said the allegations against her client had not been examined by the Cour de cassation and would be addressed publicly during the trial. She maintained that the defence would present its evidence and arguments before the criminal court.
The complainant’s legal team, meanwhile, welcomed the latest development. Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client remained determined to pursue the case after more than three years of legal proceedings.
The legal process has already passed through several stages.
In February 2026, an investigating judge ordered Hakimi to stand trial before the Hauts-de-Seine criminal court. The decision was later challenged by the footballer but was upheld by the Versailles Court of Appeal on June 19. Hakimi then lodged his appeal before the Cour de cassation.
With the final appeal now rejected, the case will proceed to trial, where evidence and competing accounts will be examined by the appropriate court.
The development comes as Hakimi continues his professional football career with Paris Saint-Germain and remains an important figure for Morocco at international level.
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The 27-year-old defender has become one of the most prominent African footballers playing in Europe, making the legal proceedings a closely watched case beyond France.
However, the court’s latest decision should not be interpreted as a finding of guilt. It simply confirms that the legal challenge against his referral has been exhausted and that the allegations will now proceed to a full criminal trial.
The eventual proceedings will give both the prosecution and defence an opportunity to present their respective cases before the court.
For now, Hakimi remains accused, not convicted, as the judicial process moves toward the substantive examination of the allegations.
