Hakimi’s asset transfer story not adding up; branded ‘fake news’

Last week, there was buzz in the media about Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain defender, who reportedly managed to protect a substantial portion of his wealth from being divided with his estranged wife in their divorce.

Reports said Hakimi, reportedly worth €70 million, placed his asset under the name of his mother, Saida Mouh, and that his estranged wife and mother of his two children, Spanish actress Hiba Abouk, lost out on a huge divorce settlement after finding out that the Moroccan star had nothing in his name.

The news went viral particularly in Hakimi’s Morroco and Nigeria, where fans praised him and mocked Abouk. For many, it was a perfect story to use against women they view as greedy and “gold-diggers”.

New reports have picked holes in the story, and analysts say it was fake news. There is no evidence yet supporting the details and the claim about asset transfer is still unconfirmed.

Hakimi’s mother has denied knowing her name was on his son’s assets, although she indicated she would support if it were so. “If he has taken any action to protect himself, I’m unaware of it,” she was quoted as saying, adding, “If my son doesn’t do this, he couldn’t get rid of this woman.”

The report’s biggest source of uncertainty stems from a legal perspective. Analysts say the likelihood of Hakimi transferring his property, so he won’t share them in the event of divorce is legally untenable. That’s true in the majority of European countries – including Spain, Germany, Italy and France, where the player has lived. It is true also even in South Africa.

French journalist and sports reporter Gilles Verdez said in a report published on Le 10 Sport that news is simply untrue.

“It’s not true that he put the property in his mother’s name, that wouldn’t be possible,” he wrote, saying the move would not be possible in France where Hakimi is currently based, nor in Spain where he and Abouk both grew up, nor in his native Morocco.

– Legally unsound

Omar El Adlouni, a professor at French University La Sorbonne, agreed. Writing on LinkedIn, he said the move would be illegal.

He said under European laws, assets earned by either spouse during the marriage must be divided in case of divorce. It is illegal to transfer such assets to evade the settlement.

The only way for a couple to keep their assets separate before, during, and after marriage is by signing a prenuptial agreement. That means if such an agreement existed, Abouk would have known about it since both parties need to sign it, rather than discovering it as reported.

On the other hand, if Hakimi had transferred his money to his mother in anticipation of the divorce, he would have incurred a substantial tax liability. If found guilty of evasion, he could face up to five years in prison.

The International Business Times also quotes Simon Bruce, partner at specialist high net worth family law firm Dawson Cornwell, who also said that kind of arrangement would not be possible in the UK too.

“Putting your wealth into the name of your mother or anyone else in order to prevent your wife getting hold of it would be a massive own goal in English divorce proceedings. The whistle would be blown on any behaviour like that in an English court,” he said.

Bruce said if the footballer had tried to avoid the divorce settlement in this manner in the UK, his assets “would have been frozen, and the mother would be viewed as holding the money on behalf of the footballer.”

Writing about how readers received the report, Rym Bousmid, writing in Africa Report said the story, “in addition to confirming the sexist logic and ease with which women are labelled “gold diggers” without proof, shows a lack of media literacy.”

– How it started

The report started with a tweet published on April 13 by the Ivorian paper First Mag, a platform said to be a regular offender when it comes to the dissemination of fake news.

It exploded after larger accounts like American outlet @DailyLoud republished.

– What’s true

What is true though is that Hakimi and Abouk are no longer together. Hakimi is currently under investigation for a rape case and has been under judicial supervision since March. He has vehemently denied the charges, saying he is the victim of “racketeering.”

Earlier this year, a woman accused him of raping her at his home in a Paris suburb on February 25. Abouk released a statement later saying she had separated from Hakimi well before the incident in question and had no knowledge of it.

“After taking the decision to legally separate and stop living together, while awaiting the divorce proceedings, who would have imagined that in addition to facing the usual pain that comes with a separation and accepting the grief that comes with the failure of a family project to which I had given body and soul, I would have to face this ignominy,’ she said in a statement to El Pais.

She also affirmed her trust in the justice system and reiterated support for victims of such crimes.