Is Benzema facing jail time? The prosecutor has announced what punishment he can expect for extortion. What does his lawyer say?

Not only Karim Benzema, but also the other four accused involved in the blackmail case are now facing their misdemeanours and very likely to receive hefty sentences. So what kind of punishments are the prosecutors seeking?

Yesterday, 21 October, the trial in France in the case of the extortion of former French national team player Mathieu Valbuena by sex tape took place. It is Benzema who is on trial for complicity in the attempted extortion, for which he currently faces up to five years in prison.

The Real Madrid striker, however, denies any wrongdoing and has also failed to appear in court. However, Benzema’s lawyers said at the Versailles court that his professional duties made it impossible for him to be present.

Valbuena’s lawyer said that his client sincerely regretted Benzema’s absence. “This affair has been going on for six years. I see that almost everyone is here. Karim is missing. It’s a pity, but it’s true. We’ll be here as long as it takes. Just get it all over with, ” Valbuena told the court at lunchtime.

He later added that he regretted going to the police over the incident. “I would never have gone to the police if I knew Karim Benzema was involved. I wanted to protect myself, the French team and Karim Benzema. This affair hurt me because if it wasn’t for it, I could have played at Euro 2016.”

Prosecutors in the Karim Benzema trial have demanded that the Real Madrid striker be given a 10-month suspended jail sentence and a €75,000 fine if found guilty.

Thirty-three-year-old Benzema is accused of being an accomplice in a 2015 extortion attempt. The whole case revolves around a sex tape of his former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

Prosecutors have demanded sentences ranging from an 18-month suspended sentence to four years in prison for the four co-defendants. They are Axel Angot, Mustapha Zouaoui, Younes Houass and Karim Zenati.

Presiding Judge Christophe Morgan is expected to announce his verdicts on Friday, 22 October.

Valbuena attended the first two days of the trial. However, he left on Thursday, even before the announcement of the sentences requested by the prosecutors. The reason was that he wanted to watch his team in the Europa League (Olympiakos played against Eintracht Frankfurt – ed.).

Source: The Athletic