The French judiciary on Saturday issued a verdict sentencing Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to 10 years in prison, with an immediate order for his arrest inside the courtroom. This ruling comes as a conviction for the charge of raping a
young woman he met in 2018 in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France. The incident in question dates back to 2018, when the plaintiff, working as a waitress, met Lamjarred in a nightclub. She subsequently agreed to accompany him to his hotel for a
drink. According to her account, Lamjarred then led her to his room and sexually assaulted her. Lamjarred, on the other hand, vehemently denied this narrative, asserting that their encounter was consensual between both parties. Lamjarred had, during May of last year,
appealed a previous verdict issued by the Draguignan city court, which sentenced him to five years in prison for the same rape case. The Draguignan court had convicted the 41-year-old Moroccan singer on May 15, 2026, and sentenced him to
five years following a four-day trial. During that trial, Lamjarred appeared before the court in a closed session at the victim's request, and no arrest warrant was issued against him at the time. The public prosecutor's office had sought a 10-year
prison sentence, while his defense team demanded his acquittal from the charge, which Lamjarred consistently denied. It is worth noting that the Moroccan artist has faced similar accusations in previous cases, including an incident in Morocco dating back to 2015, and
another in the United States in 2010.
