BROOKLYN — The woman who accused a Moroccan pop star of raping her in 2010 will no longer pursue charges against him, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.
The rape charges against Saad Lamjarred, who had been wanted since his 2010 indictment, were dismissed Dec. 23, because "the woman will not cooperate," a spokesman for the DA's office said in a statement Tuesday.
"The complainant in this case made it clear that she no longer wishes to pursue a criminal prosecution against the defendant, and we cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt without her testimony," he said. "Under the circumstances, we cannot ethically, in good faith, seek an international extradition requiring tremendous legal, financial, and indeed diplomatic resources.”
The victim's attorney did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday evening.
Lamjarred, who earned international fame with a stint on a Moroccan soap opera and multiple hit singles including LM3ALLEM, or "The Boss," fled rape charges in 2010 after he was indicted by a Brooklyn grand jury on 21 criminal charges that included rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault and harassment, according to court documents and Lamjarred’s former attorney Ezra Levy.
He has been behind bars in Paris since late October for similar charges, according to officials.
A 20-year-old French woman reportedly accused him of violently and sexually assaulting her in his hotel room, they said.
The Brooklyn DA's office had been considering extraditing him before dropping the charges.
