Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a French appeals court after being found guilty of aggravated rape in a case dating back to 2016.
The ruling was delivered on Saturday in Créteil, southeast of Paris, and increases the six-year prison sentence handed down to Lamjarred in 2023.
The appeals court also ordered his immediate detention. Prosecutors had requested an eight-year sentence during the proceedings.
The case relates to an incident involving a woman who was 20 years old at the time. According to the case, she met Lamjarred at a nightclub before the two went to a hotel, where the alleged assault took place.
Lamjarred has consistently denied the allegation and maintained his position throughout the legal proceedings.
Following the latest ruling, his lawyer, Marie Burguburu, said the defence intends to challenge the decision before France’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for reviewing legal matters.
The case has attracted significant attention because of Lamjarred’s status as one of Morocco’s well-known music stars and the lengthy legal proceedings surrounding the allegations.
