ALBAWABA - Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in France after an appeals court found him guilty of rape in a case dating back to 2016.
The 41-year-old singer was sentenced Saturday, September 26, by the Court of Appeal in Créteil, southeast of Paris. The ruling is connected to the case involving Laura P., whom Lamjarred met at a nightclub in Paris in October 2016.
The case dates back nearly a decade. Laura P., who was 20 at the time, accused Lamjarred of raping and assaulting her inside a Paris hotel room after they met at a nightclub.
Lamjarred has consistently denied the rape allegation and maintained that he was innocent. His defense challenged the accusations throughout the legal proceedings.
A Paris criminal court convicted him in February 2023 and sentenced him to six years in prison. He appealed that decision, leading to the latest proceedings in Créteil.
Why Did the Sentence Increase to 10 Years?
A court in Créteil in the Paris region sentenced today Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to 10 years for aggravated rape, exceeding his 2023 six-year term. Prosecutors had sought eight years. Lamjarred, who maintains his innocence, will file a cassation appeal, according to his… pic.twitter.com/6KVrFlgOEA
The appeals court imposed a 10-year sentence, making the punishment four years longer than the original six-year sentence.
According to French prosecutors, the conviction involved an aggravated circumstance related to Lamjarred being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offense. Prosecutors had requested an eight-year sentence during the appeal proceedings.
The court also ordered that Lamjarred be placed in prison immediately following the verdict.
The appeal trial began in Créteil on September 17 and was held behind closed doors at the request of the civil party.
The proceedings had previously been postponed in 2025 so that investigators could examine a separate allegation of attempted extortion connected to the case.
In April 2026, five people were convicted in connection with an attempted extortion scheme targeting Lamjarred. They had demanded €3 million in exchange for withdrawing the complaint or preventing Laura P. from appearing as a witness. Laura P. herself was acquitted of the extortion allegations.
The extortion case was separate from the rape conviction.
Will Saad Lamjarred Appeal the 10-Year Sentence?
Yes. Lamjarred's lawyer, Marie Burguburu, told AFP that the singer intends to challenge the verdict before France's Court of Cassation.
A cassation appeal does not amount to another full trial of the facts. It examines whether the law and legal procedure were correctly applied.
What About the Other Five-Year Prison Sentence?
The 10-year sentence should not be confused with another French case involving Lamjarred.
In May 2026, he was sentenced to five years in prison by the Var criminal court in Draguignan over allegations concerning a different woman and an incident near Saint-Tropez in 2018. The case involved a barmaid who accused him of rape. Lamjarred denied the allegation and said the sexual encounter was consensual. He has also appealed that conviction.
That means the singer is facing two separate French convictions involving different cases and different alleged incidents.
A post shared by saadlamjarred (@saadlamjarred1)
The immediate development is the 10-year sentence and the order for Lamjarred to be imprisoned. His legal team is expected to pursue the announced cassation appeal.
Meanwhile, the separate five-year conviction from the 2018 Saint-Tropez case remains under appeal.
Lamjarred, one of Morocco's best-known singers, has remained a major figure in the Arab music industry throughout the lengthy legal proceedings. His latest conviction marks a significant development in a case that has remained in the French courts since 2016.
Zaid Qaissieh is a passionate English news and content writer with a knack for storytelling and an eye for detail. covering a range of Entertainment topics—from breaking global news and trending entertainment stories to insightful pieces—I bring a creative edge to every article. Zaid aims to engage, inform, and inspire readers, balancing well-researched content with a fresh, accessible voice.
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