Rapper Naps will be tried for rape and remains under judicial supervision

The Paris Court of Appeal on Tuesday confirmed the referral for rape to the departmental criminal court of rapper Naps, suspected of having raped a young woman while she slept in the fall of 2021, according to a judicial source cited by AFP. The investigating chamber of the Court of Appeal also kept him under judicial supervision. “Naps will appear at his trial in complete serenity, with the same state of mind that was his during the investigation”assured his lawyer Nabil Boudi to AFP.

The council had appealed the order made by an investigating judge in May: the magistrate ordered that the author of the hit “Kiffance”widely followed on social networks with a million subscribers to his Instagram account, be tried for rape. This case began with a complaint in October 2021. “A young woman explained that she had spent the evening of the day before in an establishment in the 9th arrondissement” from the capital, then “having been invited with friends to the rapper’s table”according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. “They then followed him to his room in a hotel near the Gare de Lyon, which was gradually left by the rapper’s friends”. “The young women had fallen asleep and one said she was awakened by sexual intercourse to which she had not consented”the prosecution continued.

On Tuesday, the court of appeal “validated all the charges brought after three years of investigations and which therefore justify the holding of a trial before the criminal court”underlined Me Jean-Baptiste Boué-Diacquenod who represents the civil party. Other investigations also target Naps, whose real name is Nabil Boukhobza, in the Var: three women filed complaints against him and the singer was indicted in August for rape and sexual assault.

Other rappers in turmoil

On the criminal side, the world of French rap has been marked by several cases of sexual violence, with strong media coverage. Moha La Squale, whose first album «Bendero» had been a gold record in 2018, was indicted for rape and sexual assault in a judicial investigation, but ultimately benefited from a dismissal of the case. The ex-star, whose real name is Mohamed Bellahmed, was also sentenced at the beginning of July by the Paris Criminal Court to four years’ imprisonment, one of which was suspended, for domestic violence, kidnapping and death threats against six ex-partners.

The rapper Lomepal is for his part targeted by a preliminary investigation in Paris. At least three women have filed rape complaints against him. The thirty-year-old, whose real name is Antoine Valentinelli, denies it. Placed in police custody at the beginning of March and confronted by two of the complainants, he was released without being prosecuted at this stage. Investigations continue.