The trial of Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, who has been under legal scrutiny since 2018 on rape charges, was postponed on Monday for at least six months due to the absence of the presiding judge, according to judicial sources. The hearing was scheduled to take place in the afternoon at the Criminal Court in the Var region, where Lamjarred was expected to appear while on bail. However, the judge opted to postpone the proceedings while maintaining judicial supervision, following a meeting with the defense team and the civil party's lawyer at the Draguignan court, according to the French news agency. The Moroccan artist is facing charges related to a 2018 incident in Saint-Tropez, where a young French woman, Laura Prioul, who worked as a waitress, accuses him of inviting her to a hotel and then assaulting her. Lamjarred maintains the encounter was consensual and denies any assault. The complainant in the previous case is also expected to stand trial, along with four other individuals, on charges of attempted extortion after allegedly demanding three million euros from Lamjarred in exchange for withdrawing her complaint. It is worth noting that in February 2023, the French judiciary sentenced Saad Lamjarred to six years in prison in the rape case involving Laura Prioul and banned him from entering French territory for five years. He was released on temporary bail in April of the same year, pending the appeal verdict.
