Benzema bombshell – Real Madrid star charged over sex-tape blackmail of France teammate Valbuena
The 27 -year-old appeared in a Versailles court is accused of complicity in an attempt to blackmail and conspiring to commit a criminal act involving France teammate Mathieu Valbuena
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema was charged yesterday in an extortion case involving a sex tape featuring fellow French international Mathieu Valbuena, prosecutors said.
Benzema, 27, has been charged with "complicity in an attempt to blackmail" and conspiring to commit a criminal act, the prosecutor's office in Versailles, outside Paris, said.
The charges carry a prison sentence of at least five years.
Karim Benzema has admitted speaking to Valbuena at the request of a childhood friend
Benzema was also banned from meeting Lyon midfielder Valbuena, a legal constraint that puts in question the players' involvement in the French national team, who play Germany and England later this month.
READ: Sex, lies and videotape: Real Madrid's Karim benzema questioned over alleged sex-tape blackmail
Benzema's lawyer said the player, a key part of the national team and an important source of goals for Real Madrid, insisted he was innocent.
The player told investigators he approached Valbuena about the tape on behalf of "a childhood friend".
Benzema spent the night in custody in Versailles after being arrested on Wednesday.
