http://gty.im/450951934
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema has been accused of attempting to blackmail his fellow international teammate, Olympique Lyon’s Mathieu Valbuena.
French authorities placed Benzema under formal investigation on Wednesday morning and was kept overnight. It was not until Thursday that he was formally charged for attempting to extort money from Valbuena.
The sex tape case has been catching steam for some time as people began to contact Valbuena, claiming that they have a tape of both he and his wife, or another woman, having sex. He then spoke to authorities and the investigation began. Former Liverpool player, Djibril Cissé, who is now retired, was taken into custody a month ago and questioned. He was later released without charges.
The French National Team had a training session in October, which is where Benzema allegedly brought up the situation.
#UPDATE Karim Benzema charged in sex tape extortion case https://t.co/9JTYbaxuSU pic.twitter.com/gnpkVTeKWQ
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 5, 2015
Someone close to the situation told AFP news agency that Benzema has approached Valbuena about the tape on behalf of “a childhood friend”.
If found guilty, Benzema could face a minimum of 5 years in prison.
Both players were not included in France’s upcoming friendlies against England and Germany. While Benzema is not allowed to contact Valbuena or anyone else charged in the case.