Rabat – Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada will appear in court on December 15 following an alleged sexual assault against two cleaning ladies on August 5 in the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro, reports the Moroccan daily, Al Massae.
The source stated that the Moroccan consulate in Rio has requested the Brazilian judiciary to transfer Saada’s case to the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil in order to rush his verdict, but the consulate’s plea was refused.
Saada was arrested a few hours before the opening of the ceremony of the 2016 Rio Games. He was released later at the behest of his lawyer after spending six days behind bars, and upon on conditions that he surrender his passport to Brazilian authorities, stay away from the Olympic village and return to court to attend the hearing.
Following the incident, the Moroccan Royal Federation of Boxing released a written statement by the Head of the Delegation, Zoubida Wissam, asserting Saada’s innocence upon charges.
Due to the charges, the 22-year-old boxer did not participate in his first scheduled fight against Turkish boxer Mehmet Nadir Ünal who advanced with a walkover.
