November 5 – France’s Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been questioned by police in a blackmail case surrounding a sex tape, according to French reports.
Benzema was quizzed in Versailles, near Paris, early Wednesday as investigators try to determine the extent of his involvement in a long-running attempt to extort money from fellow French international Mathieu Valbuena after the tape found its way into the hands of suspected blackmailers.
Benzema’s lawyer said he had played “no part” in the plot and was keen to clear his name. “Karim Benzema has absolutely nothing to hide,” said lawyer Sylvain Cormier. “He is happy, satisfied even, to finally put an end to this tiresome controversy.”
The blackmail case began in June, when Valbuena lodged a complaint with police after being telephoned by an unknown person who said he had the sex tape. The caller did not specify a sum of money but said they should come to an arrangement
The blackmailers have threatened to release a video of the tape ahead of the 2016 European Championship, which France is hosting.
According to French reports Benzema’s name apparently came to the attention of police investigating the alleged blackmail after he mentioned the sex tape during a gathering of the French national team at the Clairefontaine training base before Les Bleus met Armenia and Denmark in early October.
It was unclear whether he was offering friendly advice, according to French reports, or trying to press his team-mate to pay the blackmailers.
It is not the first time Benzema has been embroiled in a police investigation. In 2009, he and teammate Franck Ribery were accused of sleeping with an under-age prostitute. Both men were finally cleared of wrongdoing five years later, by which time the woman in question had become a reality TV star and fashion designer.
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