Middle East conflict: latest developments on day 44

Saad Lamjarred case: accuser acquitted, five others convicted of attempted extortion

Laura P., the accuser in the Saad Lamjarred case, has been acquitted of attempted extortion and criminal association charges. She had been suspected of attempting to extort three million euros from Saad Lamjarred, through his manager, to withdraw her rape accusations or not appear in court. However, the court found no intentional evidence that Laura P. was prepared to retract her statements to facilitate an acquittal. Five other defendants, including Laura P.'s mother, criminal lawyer Aissatou Fall, and an influencer, were also acquitted of criminal association but received suspended sentences for attempted extortion. Aissatou Fall received the heaviest sentence: a two-year suspended sentence and a ten-year ban from practicing law. Fall had contacted Laura P. in October 2024, claiming to defend women's causes and offering to help her secure a financial settlement. After meeting Laura P. and her mother, Fall contacted Lamjarred's manager, posing as "Aïda," a friend of Laura P.'s family. The manager, suspicious, recorded the conversation. When Lamjarred's entourage did not respond, another individual, claiming to be a friend of Laura P.'s family, contacted the singer directly. Lamjarred then filed a complaint, leading to an investigation. The Moroccan singer was sentenced to six years in prison by the Paris Assize Court in 2023 for the 2016 rape and assault of Laura P. He appealed, but the second trial was postponed due to investigations into suspected attempted extortion betwe