The trial of Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema on charges of having sex with an underage prostitute began on Monday.

BBC reported that neither Ribery nor Benzema appeared in court. The two French soccer superstars were both represented by their respective lawyers. Prostitute-turned-fashion model/designer Zahia Dehar also did not attend the said proceedings.

If Ribery and Benzema are found guilty, they could face up to three years in prison as well as fines of up to $55,000.

Prostitution in France is considered legal. However, paying for sex with someone under the age of 18 is completely prohibited. Ribery and Benzema's trial is ongoing amid a frenzied deliberation in France over a modification of prostitution decrees aimed at imposing fines equivalent to $2,000 on people caught paying for sex.

Ribery and Benzema were charged of having sex with Dehar back in July 2010. Ribery admitted having sex with Dehar but firmly defends that he was not aware that she was not 18 at that time. Benzema, on the other hand, denies having had sexual encounters with Dehar at all.

Dehar said that both athletes weren't aware that she was underage at the time of the act. She claimed she had lied about her real age for money. She has reportedly withdrawn a civil plaintiff in the case and said she wasn't asking for anything as told by her lawyer.

According to Ribery and Benzema's lawyers, there is a great chance that both of them will be cleared of all the charges because there was no way that they could have known Dehar was only a minor, reported the Independent.

"The prosecutor has asked for the case to be dismissed," said Ribery's lawyer Carlo-Alberto Brusa. "Dehar is not a civil party in the case anymore," Brusa added. "She does not see herself as a victim, so we have a trial but no accusation," he said.

Dehar is now 20 years old. She became an instant celebrity following the sex scandal. She has launched her own lingerie line and self-named perfume. She even became one of the models of world-renowned designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Check out Dehar in the video below:

 Video courtesy: YouTube/ZahiaOfficiel

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