Karim Benzema of Real Madrid could spend 5 years in jail if found guilty of ‘complicity’ in sextape blackmail scandal

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema could spend 5 years in prison if he is found guilty of “complicity” in a sextape blackmail case.

The France international is already on trial in a court in Versailles, France over the sextape scandal. The scandal has been on since June 2015.

What we know about the sextape scandal Karim Benzema is involved in

In June 2015, Mathieu Valbuena who was then playing for Dinamo Moscow and the France national team decided to move the files on his old phone to a new phone.

He gave the phone to one Axel Angot in Marseille to help him upload the files to the new phone. It was at the point of uploading the files that Angot discovered that Valbuena had his sextape on the phone.

Angot allegedly conspired with one Mustapha Zouaoui to extort money from the French footballer by threatening to make the sextape public.

During the heat of the saga, Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena met at a France national team camp in October 2015. Benzema who had heard about the scandal decided to approach Valbuena over it.

During their meeting, Benzema reportedly said: “Be careful, Math, they’re big, big thugs.” Afterward, the Real Madrid star said he gave the Frenchman the warning in his attempt to help him get rid of the video.

In the process of allegedly trying to help his teammate, Benzema offered to link Valbuena up with his childhood friend, Karim Zenati who could help them get rid of the video.

In the midst of that, Valbuena decided to report the case to the police. The police in turn arranged for an undercover negotiator named Luka. Through that, the police confirmed that the footballer was a victim of blackmail.

Afterward, Angot and Mustapha Zouaoui were accused of approaching Zenati in their attempt to get money from the footballer for the sextape.

However, Zouaoui said he only shared the video but didn’t threaten the footballer to pay him.

The police suspected that Benzema was involved in the syndicate because of a tapped phone conversation the Real Madrid star had with Zenati. In the conversation, Benzema reportedly told his childhood friend that: “He’s not taking us seriously.”

While Zenati allegedly replied: “We’re here to sort it out; if he doesn’t want that he’ll have to deal with the piranhas.”

Karim Benzema’s case

In 2018, the representatives of the defendants submitted an application to the court in France condemning the role of the police in the saga.

The legal team said the police undercover negotiator lured the defendants to ask for money over the sextape. But the court threw out the application saying there was nothing wrong with the police method.

The prosecutors believe that Karim Benzema committed “complicity” in the sex tape blackmail scandal.

If the footballer is found guilty of the offense, he might be sentenced to 5 years in prison and pay the sum of €75,000 fine. Benzema’s trial will last through his week according to reports and the player might not appear in court throughout the trial.

Recall that because of the sextape scandal, Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena were thrown out of the France national team in 2015.

However, Benzema returned to the team ahead of Euro 2020 which took place between June and July 2021. While Valbuena who is now 37-year-old has not returned to the team to date.