Karim Benzema's problems away from the pitch took an ugly turn today, as a leaked conversation between Real Madrid's striker and childhood friend Karim Zenati apparently reveals both plotted to blackmail Mathieu Valbuena over an explicit sex tape.
The conversation between Benzema and Zenati appears to be a well-thought out plan to force Valbuena to pay an undisclosed fee, with Real Madrid's player voicing statements such as "I don't think he's taking us seriously" or "If you don't want to pay, it's your life, but I have warned you".
Benzema was charged last Thursday with "complicity to blackmail and conspiring to commit a criminal act," charges that can carry a prison sentence of at least five years, in relation to the sex tape. He is also banned from meeting Valbuena.
Benzema, wearing a white hoodie, leaving the court house last Thursday.
The former Olympique Lyon forward was supposed to facilitate negotiations between Valbuena and his blackmailers, and the conversation between his Les Bleus' team-mate happened back in October 6. Despite all claims by the media, Valbuena's attorneys refuse to believe the charges, but things could change if there's a clear verdict soon.
"There was no animosity before and there still is none. One cannot remain indifferent to what one sees in the press. Certainly if we discover all this is true, he (Valbuena) will not be his friend,"attorney Didier Domat explained.
Here's Karim Benzema's leaked conversation with childhood friend Karim Zenati, one of the alleged blackmailers. (Source: Daily Mail)
"Benzema feels down. He's being dragged through the mud" -- Karim's attorney
Real Madrid's striker hired lawyer Alain Jacubowicz to defend him in this case, and the player's attorney described how he's taking all the news surrounding him.
"He feels down and singled out. He feels like he's being dragged through the mud. The leaked conversation left him looking like an idiot in the best-case scenario, or at worst, like a criminal," Jacubowicz stated.
Nevertheless, the attorney revealed there is an element of suspicion in this case, since the victim has not been exposed as much as the supposed blackmailer.
"It's a farce". I've never seen anyone charged for conspiracy to blackmail before the victim was heard. We, as Benzema's lawyers, will fight to defend his honour and to identify the source behind all of this," the attorney concluded.
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