Real Madrid forward, Karim Benzema has been found guilty of conspiring to blackmail former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.
The French International has been given a 1-year suspended prison sentence and an $84K fine; his lawyer has confirmed he will appeal the decision.
“We are quite flabbergasted by this judgment. An appeal is necessary. He will be exonerated at the height of this appeal.”
The sex tape case began in 2015 when Valbuena, now 37, asked a man in Marseille, Axel Angot, to upload the contents of his mobile phone to a new device and he found some implicating videos in the phone and decided to blackmail and extort Valbuena, who wasn’t having none of it and reported the case to the Police, who then carried out an undercover operation.
Police were tapping their phone calls and recorded Benzema telling someone: “He’s not taking us seriously.” Benzema said he had merely tried to help his team-mate get rid of the compromising video, warning him: “Be careful, Math, they’re big, big thugs.”
According to the Judge, Karim Benzema was not aware of all of the details of the attempted blackmail but did take part in the scheme and used deceit to attempt to achieve the goal, encouraged by co-conspirators.
However, the presiding judge over the Karim Benzema – Mathieu Valbuena sextape blackmail case reached a verdict this morning and he (Benzema) was given a one year suspended prison sentence, meaning, he would serve the sentence if he breaches the terms of the suspended sentence, or commits another offence, only then will he be made to serve the terms of the sentence and in the case of Benzema, it would be one year in prison for him.
It should be recalled that the Real Madrid striker was not present at the trial in October, nor at this morning’s tribunal. The four others on trial, who were found to have been directly involved in the attempt, have been handed sanctions ranging from 18-month suspended sentences to two and a half years in prison.
Both players have been absent from the national team after the incident but Benzema was recently recalled while Valbuena hasn’t been recalled since then and he still plays active football, plying his trade with Greek side, Olympiacos.
French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet, has said the outcome of the verdict of Benzema’s sex-tape trial won’t stop the 34-year-old Striker from playing with the French National team.
MOLATsportgist 