Saad Lamjarred appeal trial begins in France

Appeal hearings for Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred are set to begin this Thursday in Créteil, near Paris. Lamjarred was previously sentenced to six years in prison in 2023 for the rape and assault of Laura B. in 2016.

The trial, which is expected to run until September 25, follows delays intended to allow for further investigations. Lamjarred, 41, will appear before the court while out on judicial supervision. While the singer maintains his innocence—claiming he only used force to push the victim away after being scratched—the legal team for Laura B. asserts that the evidence strongly supports a conviction.

This case is part of a broader legal history for the artist; he was also sentenced to five years in prison by a court in the Var region of southern France for a separate 2018 rape charge near Saint-Tropez, a ruling he has appealed. Lamjarred has also faced similar allegations in Morocco in 2015 and in the United States in 2010.