French footballer Karim Benzema found GUILTY in sex-tape blackmail case, gets 1 year suspended jail term
Karim Benzema was recently accused of blackmailing a French football with a sex tape. He has been found guilty and has been fined €75,000 and suspended jail term of one year.
FollowVeteran French striker has received a setback in his personal life. While he was accused of blackmailing a fellow French footballer with a sex tape, he has been reprimanded for the same, as a judge has charged him. He has been handed a fine of €75,000, along with a 1-year suspended jail term.
As per the BBC, Benzema was among the five people put on trial last month concerning the case. The case happened to be a sensational one, as it rattled French football as a whole. Consequently, it also cost Benzema his spot in the French national side, along with Mathieu Valbuena, who happened to the victim in this case.
The case happened to have occurred in 2015. Although Benzema was reinstated to the national side during the UEFA Euro 2020, he would not lose his spot in the side any further, having already served a sentence, as stated by French football president Noel Le Graet, reports AFP. The final verdict of his trial will be announced a few hours before he plays for Real Madrid against Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 on Wednesday, while he would not be present during the trial along with Valbuena, who is currently playing for Olympiakos.
Although Benzema has not been convicted of extortion, he has been charged with conspiration with other suspected blackmailers to pressurise Valbuena and pay them. However, the former clarified that he was trying to help the latter with the video issue by finding someone. Notwithstanding, Valbuena described Benzema's tone as "insistent".
ALSO READ: Messi, Ronaldo, Salah, Lewandowski among 11 shortlisted for Best FIFA Men's Player 2021 award
Also, it is being said that following Benzema's conversation with Valbuena, the former called up a friend and said that the latter was not taking him seriously, which the judge found implicative about the conspiracy plot. Valbuena further testified that the incident left him frightened for his life and his career.
"Benzema is not a good Samaritan who just wanted to help out. No-one ever said he was kind, but that's not a criminal offence," said prosecutor Segolene Mares. On the other hand, Benzema's lawyer Sylvain Cormier clarified, "His reasoning is simple: 'Me, I was sidelined and never brought back and declined in sporting terms while there is Karim Benzema who is flying high in global football'."
