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It all began in 2017 when France’s National Financial Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Nasser Al Khelaïfi over the allocation of broadcasting rights. As chairman of BeIn Media Group and president of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), he allegedly attempted to conceal evidence ahead of police raids. In France, he relied on his right-hand man, Hicham Karmoussi—a former Moroccan professional tennis player who served as his butler, reportedly without a contract, from 2011 to 2018.
On the March 27, 2025, episode of Complément d'enquête, Karmoussi emerged as a key witness in the documentary dedicated to Al Khelaïfi.
«When he returned to France, [Nasser] didn’t speak French well. He needed someone to do his shopping, make reservations, and train with him. We were very close, almost like brothers. People think we lived the high life, flying in jets, but they don’t know the truth», said Karmoussi, his face concealed. After suing Al Khelaïfi for undeclared work in 2023, he himself was later indicted for breach of trust against his former employer.
Destroying Evidence
Between 2016 and 2017, Al Khelaïfi allegedly tasked Karmoussi with disposing of evidence that could have implicated him in legal trouble. According to the former butler, this included making sensitive documents disappear—computers, USB drives, and other materials under judicial scrutiny.
In the France 2 documentary, Karmoussi describes his work under Al Khelaïfi as exploitative, citing «moral violence» and «insults». He claims he was effectively on call 24/7, unable to see his family and deprived of vacations, allowed to rest only when his employer was asleep. «You work, you receive emails at 4 a.m., 6 a.m., messages... You have to respond, or you’ll have problems», he recounted.
The conflict between Al Khelaïfi and Karmoussi escalated, especially since the ex-butler holds firsthand knowledge of the PSG boss’s alleged irregularities. In Complément d'enquête, Karmoussi confirmed attempts to «make official documents disappear».
«I was in my room when he called me, yelling, 'Come, come, come!'» Karmoussi recalled. «I took his papers, he threw them in the bathtub—it was burning, it set the room on fire. These were meeting documents. He started the fire himself».
Alleged Kidnapping Attempts
Karmoussi also claims to have been the target of multiple kidnapping attempts to forcibly take him to Qatar. In 2023, the Paris prosecutor’s office ordered a judicial investigation into Al Khelaïfi over suspicions of «kidnapping», «detention with torture or acts of barbarism committed by an organized gang», «extortion», and «criminal conspiracy».
Over the phone, Al Khelaïfi allegedly pressured Karmoussi daily, urging him to travel to the Gulf. «[Nasser] sent people to my house (...) An employee tried to push me into a car. I was terrified and started screaming. He said, 'No, come on, let’s talk.' I knew that if I went to Qatar, I wouldn’t return», Karmoussi recounted.
Al Khelaïfi was reportedly desperate to retrieve a mobile phone Karmoussi had kept—one allegedly containing intimate videos, filmed in Al Khelaïfi’s apartment. According to a former associate, this phone was later handed to an intermediary who attempted to trade information about the leader, even reaching out to the United Arab Emirates. The intermediary was arrested and imprisoned in 2021. Al Khelaïfi allegedly sought to lure Karmoussi to Qatar to discuss the matter.
Karmoussi also testified that Al Khelaïfi’s lawyers pressured him into signing documents after grilling him with «20 questions», for which they already had prepared answers.
