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Actual Madrid ahead Karim Benzema will face trial for his alleged involvement in blackmailing former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena in a “intercourse tape” scandal, the Versailles prosecutor’s workplace mentioned Thursday.
Benzema is suspected of getting pressured his former nationwide workforce teammate to pay blackmailers who threatened to disclose an intimate video during which Valbuena was featured. He’ll stand trial on the cost of conspiracy to try blackmail, the prosecutor’s workplace mentioned in a message to The Related Press. A date for the trial has but to be set.
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The 33-year-old Benzema, essentially the most proficient French ahead of his technology, has been banned from the nationwide workforce since November 2015 due to his suspected involvement within the scandal, regardless of constant showings with Actual Madrid.
The investigators who charged Benzema consider he was approached by a childhood pal that 12 months to behave as an middleman and persuade Valbuena to deal straight with the blackmailers. As a substitute, Valbuena knowledgeable the police.
4 different individuals can even stand trial within the case. Benzema denies any wrongdoing.
“This determination is as a lot absurd because it was predictable,” Benzema’s lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, instructed the AP, denouncing a perceived “persecution” towards the participant.
When the story broke, Benzema confronted a deluge of criticism and then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls mentioned the previous Lyon participant had “no place” within the nationwide workforce. Former French President Francois Hollande was quoted as saying in a guide that Benzema was not an instance of morality.
Benzema, who’s of Algerian descent, had relationship with France coach Didier Deschamps. However he accused Deschamps of giving in to racist strain when the coach determined to not embrace him within the squad for the 2016 European Championship.
Benzema has not performed for France since scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Armenia in October 2015, taking his tally to 27 objectives in 81 internationals. He has greater than 250 objectives for Actual Madrid and gained 4 Champions League titles with the Spanish membership.
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