Saad Lamjarred sentenced to five years' imprisonment for 2018 rape in Saint-Tropez
The Draguignan assize court has sentenced Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to five years' imprisonment for the rape of a young woman in 2018. He must also pay the victim €35,000.
Five years' imprisonment for Saad Lamjarred following Draguignan trial
The Draguignan assize court has sentenced Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to five years' imprisonment for the rape of a young woman he met in Saint-Tropez in August 2018, according to RFI. The verdict was delivered on Friday, 15 May 2026, following a week of proceedings held in camera.
The prosecution had sought a ten-year prison sentence against the 41-year-old artist, who has a large following across the Arab world. In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered Lamjarred to pay €30,000 in damages and interest as well as €5,000 in legal fees to the civil party.
The defence counsel, Me Christian Saint-Palais, refused to comment following the announcement of the verdict. On the part of the civil party, Me Dominique Lardans said he was "satisfied", adding: "It is not by burdening the victim that one achieves an acquittal."
Upon hearing the decision, Saad Lamjarred, in tears, embraced his wife and mother-in-law. He had appeared at liberty throughout the trial, and the court did not issue a detention order against him. The singer has consistently denied the allegations against him.
The facts date back to August 2018. The complainant claims to have encountered Lamjarred in a nightclub in Saint-Tropez before he took her to his hotel room. She stated that she had only agreed to a drink; he maintained to investigators that the relations were consensual. The investigation chamber of the Aix-en-Provence court of appeal had confirmed in 2021 his referral to the assize court, noting in particular that entering a man's room does not automatically constitute consent.
This is Lamjarred's second conviction in France. In 2023, the Paris assize court had already sentenced him to six years' imprisonment for the rape of a young woman he met in 2016 in a Parisian nightclub — a verdict which he appealed. In the 2018 matter, the singer had spent three months in pre-trial detention before being released.
Similar accusations had also been brought against him in 2015 in Morocco as well as in 2010 in the United States, where proceedings for rape and sexual assault were dismissed following a financial settlement with the victim.
Source: RFI