The rape trial of Moroccan pop star Saad Lamjarred has opened in Draguignan, southern France, nearly seven years after allegations first emerged against the singer. Lamjarred, 41, appeared in court on Monday alongside his wife as he faces accusations of raping a woman in Saint-Tropez in 2018. The singer, one of the Arab world’s most prominent music stars, has denied all charges. The proceedings are being held behind closed doors at the request of the alleged victim.
According to French prosecutors, Lamjarred met the woman, a barmaid, at a nightclub before allegedly assaulting her at his hotel. The complainant told investigators that she agreed to join him for a drink at the hotel bar but was instead taken directly to his room, where she says he forced her onto a bed and raped her while restraining her wrists. Lamjarred maintains the encounter was consensual and claims the woman willingly removed her clothing. A friend of the complainant testified that she received a distress call and later found the woman visibly shaken, with swollen lips and signs of emotional trauma.
The case adds to a series of sexual assault allegations that have followed the singer for more than a decade. In 2010, Lamjarred faced accusations in New York involving alleged assault and rape, though the case was dropped after a financial settlement was reportedly reached. In 2017, another complaint filed by a French-Moroccan woman was withdrawn, reportedly due to family pressure. In a separate French case linked to allegations from 2016 in Paris, Lamjarred was sentenced to six years in prison for assault and rape. He has appealed the ruling, with a new hearing scheduled for September. The current trial had initially been scheduled for December 2025 but was postponed after the presiding judge fell ill.
