A lengthy lawsuit has ended.
The sentence against Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has been upheld, meaning he will be sentenced to one year in prison for extortion.
On November 24 last year, the star was sentenced Karim Benzema On probation for a year after being involved in a racketeering case against then-French national team player Mathieu Valbuena.
It is now clear that Benzema has chosen not to appeal the ruling, and therefore accepts the penalty, according to L’Equipe.
– My client has been exhausted because of this. His choice to withdraw indicates guilt. This is a legal fact, but it is not the truth. Benzema will always claim his innocence in the case, and has never wanted to take part in the blackmail against Valbuena, the star’s lawyer Hugues Vigier told the newspaper.
In addition to the conditional prison sentence, the 34-year-old Benzema was also sentenced to €80,000, just over 835,000 kroner, as compensation to Valbuena and a fine of €75,000, which is equivalent to 790,000 kroner.
He was kicked out of the national team
In October 2015, Benzema was one of five people accused of blackmailing Valbuena with the help of a sex video stolen from the Frenchman’s phone.
The tangle led to Benzema’s expulsion from the national team for five and a half years before returning ahead of the European Championship in 2021.