A court official told AFP on Tuesday that Real Madrid star Karim Benzema was sued for “complicity in an attempt to blackmail” over a sex tape involving former France partner Matthew Valbena. The court said that Benzema would be tried in Versailles from October 20-22. The 33-year-old striker faces up to five years in prison and a 75,000-euro fine, with four others facing trial for attempted blackmail. Benzema made 81 international appearances but was not selected for his country after the case surfaced in 2015. He has scored 22 goals for Real Madrid this season and is the third top scorer in La Liga with 17.
The October 20 start of the trial is scheduled by UEFA for the third round matches of the next season’s Champions League group stage.
He is accused of involvement in a conspiracy to extort money from Vallubena by threatening to make the video public.
Vallubena, 52 times elected to France, received a call from a blackmailer who threatened to release the video and contacted police.
In October 2015, the case centers on a conversation between two men at the France team’s training center, Clairefontaine.
Benzema told Valbuena that she could introduce “someone she trusted” to Vallubena, according to the latter, to help “manage” the possible publication of the compromised video.
Benzema said, “Be careful, they are big, big thugs.”
It was a way to help his teammates, Benzema later explained.
Valbuena said he had “the notion of being carried for a fool”.
It would be up to the courts to determine whether this exchange was favorable advice or criminal coercion.
Benzema has described the trial as “fake” in an Instagram post. Real declined to comment on the decision to go on trial.
The footballer has argued during a lengthy investigation into the allegations that a police officer used unscrupulous methods to drag him into an affair.
Former Liverpool and France forward Jibril Sisse, who spoke to Vallabyna about the sex tape in May 2015, was initially targeted by prosecutors, but decided not to take any further action against him in January.
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When Benzima was referred to Versailles Criminal Court in January, his lawyer Sylvain Cormier said the decision was “as absurd as it was anticipated”.
Valbena’s lawyer, Paul-Albert Ewins, said “it was the logical next step in an investigation that has fully established the involvement of various people”.
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