Benzema loses appeal to drop Valbuena sex-tape blackmail case

A French court on Friday rejected a request from Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema to drop an investigation into whether he was part of a plot to blackmail the Lyon star Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. 

Karim Benzema is in Japan with Real Madrid while his lawyers in France try to assert he had no part in a sex tape blackmail plot involving his France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Benzema, 28, is accused of acting as an intermediary between a gang of extortioners and Valbuena.

The decision of the Versailles appeal court means the case can go to a full trial.

Valbuena lodged a formal complaint with police in June 2015 after being telephoned by an unknown person about the sex tape.

Police then posed as friends of Valbuena, luring three blackmailers into a trap and they were arrested.

Two of the group had ties to Djibril Cissé, the former France international. He was also arrested in relation to the case but then released.

Complaints about police rejected

Benzema and three of the other suspects asked for the case against them to be dropped.

They say police used dishonest methods by posing as a friend of Valbuena in a telephone conversation with one of the accused.

The court rejected their arguments and ruled in favour of the police's methods. The Versailles appeal court also asked the investigating magistrate to consider charging Cissé.

Valbuena 'delighted'

Benzema did not attend the hearing as he is in Japan with Real Madrid preparing for Sunday's final of the Fifa Club World cup.

Benzema's lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, said his client would fight on to clear his name.

"Karim Benzema is innocent, he did nothing wrong in this case. We are going to do everything we can to prove his innocence," he said.

Paul-Albert Iweins, Valbuena's lawyer, said the former France interntional was delighted by the appeal court's decision. "It will allow there to be a public debate about the case, which is what he has always wanted."