Benzema found guilty, handed suspended Fined $84K in sex-tape trial

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema star handed suspended prison sentence, $84,000 fine after being found guilty of blackmail in in sex-tape trial.





 Karim Benzema has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine for his involvement in the attempted blackmail of former teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. Benzema's lawyer told journalists on Wednesday the player will appeal the verdict.




 A judge handed Benzema a one-year suspended jail term and ordered him to pay a €75,000 (£63,000; $84,000) fine. 

Benzema, 33, was one of five people put on trial last month over an attempt to extort Frenchman Mathieu Valbuena. 

The scandal has stunned the football community in France and both players lost their national team places. 


 Benzema's lawyer said they would appeal the decision:



 "We are quite flabbergasted by this judgment. An appeal is necessary. He will be exonerated at the height of this appeal." The striker had denied any involvement in the incident.


The case dates back to June 2015, when the two footballers were at a French training camp.



 Four other men -- Axel Angot, Mustapha Zouaoui, Youness Houass and Karim Zenati -- were also found guilty, receiving prison sentences ranging from a conditional 18 months, to an obligatory two-and-a-half years.



 Benzema returned to the France national team earlier this year, playing at Euro 2020 and starring in their UEFA Nations League final win, and is the top scorer in LaLiga so far this season with 10 goals. 


He is among the contenders to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or award for the best male player when it is handed out next week. Valbuena -- now at Olympiakos in Greece -- has not played for his country since the incident occurred.




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Courtesy to BBC Sports & ESPN

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