Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, who has been involved in several cases of rape or sexual assault, was convicted on Friday for raping a barmaid near the upscale resort of Saint-Tropez in 2018. The court did not issue an arrest warrant against him.
In tears at the announcement of the verdict, the 41-year-old star hugged his wife and mother-in-law. The artist appeared before the court in Draguignan (Var) since Monday. Very popular in Morocco and the Arab world, he was judged behind closed doors, at the request of the victim, who did not want the proceedings to be public.
A compromising financial proposition
In August 2018, the victim was working as a barmaid in Saint-Tropez when she met Saad Lamjarred at a nightclub. According to her testimony to investigators, she did not know him, found him cute, and agreed to have a drink at the bar of his hotel. According to her account, he actually took her directly to his room, tried to kiss her, then pushed her onto the bed, undressed her, and raped her while holding her wrists without her being able to react, petrified.
He claimed that the intercourse was consensual and that the young woman had willingly taken off her pants. But a friend called for help shortly after testified that she found her in shock, with smudged makeup, swollen lips, and a vacant stare. Tests conducted a few hours later revealed that their blood alcohol levels were between 1.2 and 1.4 grams per liter for her and between 1.6 and 1.8 g/l for him.
The victim’s phone was wiretapped, revealing her distress and fear of the case being publicized. But also a call, during the singer’s detention, from a man offering 200,000 euros for an out-of-court settlement.
