Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Fez – A judge at the Versailles court in France ruled today that French and Real Madrid football star, Karima Benzema, was guilty of blackmailing in “sex tape” case that dates back to 2015.
The judge handed the Real Madrid striker a one-year suspended prison sentence with a fine of $84,000 for complicity in the 2015 “sex tape” and blackmailing case involving the footballer’s former teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
The incident took place in October 2015, when both players were at a training camp for the French national football team. Valbuena said he was alerted by Benzema about the existence of an intimate video of him, believed to have been obtained from Valbuena’s phone.
Since then, the Real Madrid attacker has been formally put under investigation for allegedly being involved in the blackmailing of a teammate.
Benzema has denied accusations of wrongdoing, insisting that he was only advising a friend in a tough situation.
The Real Madrid star was not present at last month’s trial in Versailles and was also absent when the verdict was reached today. The four other defendants were also found guilty and did not appear in court.
Read also: 3 Real Madrid Players Fall for Marrakech’s Charm
Benzema and the other four defendants involved in the case claimed the police acted dishonestly in the case. As the racketeer asked Valbuena to hire a negotiator, a police agent took the mission under the fake name of Lukas, they have said.
The scandal made headlines around the world when it was first revealed in 2015, prompting the French Football Federation to declare both Valbuena and Benzema as persona non grata for France’s football team.
But the Real Madrid star was recalled to the team last summer ahead of the European Championships, making a feted return to the French squad list after almost six years of absence.
The court’s ruling is unlikely to have an immediate impact on Benzema’s career.
Following an impressive 2020-21 season with Real Madrid, the attacker is now considered one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or award – elite football’s most coveted and revered individual trophy – on November 29 in Paris.
Noel Le Graet, the head of the French football federation, has maintained that Benzema will be allowed to continue playing for France’s national team regardless of the court’s verdict.
