National football stars go on trial for having sex with underage prostitute
THE French national football team faced embarrassment yesterday when two of its star players went on trial accused of having sex with an underage prostitute.
Karim Benzema, 26, Real Madrid’s centre forward, and Franck Ribery, 30, the Bayern Munich winger, face up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 (NZ$73,000) if found guilty.
Ribery’s lawyer suggested that it was not just the two footballers but the whole of France that was on trial.
They are accused of having sex with Zahia Dehar, now aged 21, the daugh- ter of Algerian immigrants who became an escort on the Champs Elysees in Paris in 2008 and 2009. Both players – who, barring injury, are certain to feature in the Football World Cup in June – deny the charges. Benzema says he never had sexual relations with Dehar. Ribery admits that he did, but says he did not realise that she was a prostitute or that she was under 18 at the time. Under French law, prosecutors must show that the defendants were aware that she was underage.
The state prosecution service initially said there was no proof against the players, but was over-ridden by investigating magistrate Andre Dando, who insisted on sending them for trial.
Paris Criminal Court was told that Benzema met Dehar at an end-ofseason awards ceremony in 2008, when he played for French club Olympique Lyonnais. Investigators say they went to a hotel after the ceremony for sex.
Dehar, who was 16 at the time, told Benzema she charged 1000 (NZ$1600) for her services, but he paid her 500 after an encounter that lasted 15 minutes, Dando said.
The court was told that Ribery’s friends paid for Dehar to fly to Munich with another prostitute as a birthday treat for him in 2009, when she was 17.
Ribery had given her 700, the court was told. He is alleged to have had sex with her later that year, but is not suspected of paying her on that occasion. He says that when he met Dehar in a hotel in Munich, he gave her 200 for a taxi but denies paying for sex. Dehar says she disguised her age and has withdrawn her civil writ against the players. Neither she nor the players were in court.
Sylvain Cormier, Benzema’s laywer, said: ‘‘From the outset, Karim Benzema has said that nothing happened on May 11, 2008. We are going to try to demonstrate that this is the truth.’’
Carlo Alberto Brusa, Ribery’s lawyer, said: ‘‘I will do everything possible so that France and a leading football player will be cleared of everything.’’