November 24, (THEWILL) – Karim Benzema was found guilty of involvement in Mathieu Valbuena’s attempted blackmail by a French court. He has received a one-year suspended sentence and a €75,000 fine.
The charge pronounced the Real Madrid striker guilty of plotting to use a sex film to blackmail his fellow French footballer with prosecutors successfully arguing that he persuaded Valbuena, a former France international, to pay blackmailers in order to keep a sexually graphic recording hidden.
The presiding judge therefore sentenced the 33-year-old striker to a year in prison with no possibility of parole and the accompanying fine of €75,000.
Last month, Benzema was one of five people charged with attempting to extort Frenchman Mathieu Valbuena.
Benzema had claimed that he was merely trying to help his fellow teammate and said he could help him find someone to “manage” the video issue after Valbuena approached him about the blackmail.
The controversy shook the French football community, and both players were dropped from the national squad, although coach Didier Deschamps returned Benzema to the national team lineup recently.
The former Lyon striker faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of €90,000 if found guilty. The player’s counsel stated that Benzema would appeal the decision.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
