France: Final Ruling Sentences Saad Lamjarred to 10 Years in Prison

The French judiciary issued a ruling on Saturday sentencing Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to 10 years in prison and ordering his arrest from within the courtroom on charges of raping a young woman he met in 2018 in Saint-Tropez in southeastern France. Lamjarred had previously appealed, last May, a ruling by the Draguignan court that sentenced him to five years in prison on rape charges. The Draguignan court had convicted the 41-year-old Moroccan singer on May 15, 2026, and sentenced him to five years in prison following a four-day trial. Lamjarred appeared before the court at that time during a closed session, at the victim’s request, while no arrest warrant was issued against him. The public prosecutor had sought a 10-year prison sentence, while his defense team called for his acquittal. Lamjarred has consistently denied the charge, maintaining that the relationship was consensual. The case dates back to 2018, when the accuser, then working as a waitress, met Lamjarred at a nightclub before agreeing to accompany him to the hotel where he was staying for a drink. According to her account, he led her to his room and sexually assaulted her, whereas Lamjarred denied this version of events, insisting that the relationship was consensual. The Moroccan artist had previously faced similar allegations in other cases, including one from 2015 in Morocco and another in the United States in 2010.