Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema on trial for soliciting minor
Two French international footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema went on trial Tuesday in Paris charged with paying for sex with an underage prostitute.
|Last Updated: Jun 18, 2013, 06:25 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Paris: Two French international footballers Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema went on trial Tuesday in Paris charged with paying for sex with an underage prostitute.
Bayern Munich winger Ribery and Real Madrid forward Benzema face up to three years in prison and a maximum 45,000 euro (USD 55,000) fine if convicted.
Both deny the charge and the young woman involved, Zahia Dehar, has testified that the players were not aware that she was not 18 when they had sex with her in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
Although the age of consent is 15 in France, paying for sex with anyone under 18 is a crime.
Dehar, now 21, became a celebrity of sorts following the scandal, having launched her own luxury lingerie line, and has been seen as the muse of German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
The 30-year-old Ribery did not turn up at the court as there was "no victim," his lawyer said, seeking for the proceedings to be held behind closed doors due to their salacious nature.
Ribery has admitted having sex with Dehar but has maintained he did not know she was then under-age. Benzema meanwhile denies any encounter.
Prosecutors had sought an acquittal for the two players and Ribery`s brother-in-law, who was also implicated, but investigating judge, Andre Dando, argued that they must have been aware of her real age.
News of the investigation into Ribery and Benzema broke just before the disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, during which unprecedented bickering within the French squad resulted in a player boycott, striker Nicolas Anelka being sent home and one of the favourites being eliminated at the group stage.
The badly tarnished image of "Les Bleus" has yet to fully recover from what has become known as the Knysna fiasco after the name of the squad`s South African base.
Ribery, said to be one of the ringleaders of the rebellion against coach Raymond Domenech, was given a three-match ban after the tournament but has since been welcomed back into the fold.
The trial continues till June 26.
AFP
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.