France and Real Madrid FC forward, Karim Benzema on Wednesday was sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term.

Benzema was found guilty of complicity in the blackmail of a former international teammate over a sex tape.

The Versailles court also fined him 75,000 euros ($84,170) then ordered him to pay former teammate, Mathieu Valbuena 80,000 euros to cover legal costs and 150,000 euros in damages.

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Benzema’s lawyer, however, said he would appeal against the verdict.

Benzema, who had denied any wrongdoing, was absent in court.

“The verdict in no way corresponds with the reality of events,” lawyer Antoine Vey told newsmen.

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Real Madrid has declined to comment on the verdict.

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Meanwhile, Benzema and Valbuena both lost their places in the national team in the wake of the scandal, dubbed the “sex tape affair”.

Among Benzema’s co-defendants were childhood friend Karim Zenati, who acted as an intermediary, and Mustapha Zouaoui, one of the suspected architects of the scam.

The four defendants were found guilty in connection with the attempted blackmail.