Moroccan media reported that the public prosecutor at the Marrakech Court of Appeal decided to withdraw the passports of prominent officials in the country following allegations of “acquisition” and renting out properties designated for projects for their benefit. The media detailed that the Public Prosecutor pursued Yunis Benslimane, a parliamentarian from the National Rally of Independents party; Mohamed Larbi Belcaid, the former mayor from the Justice and Development Party; Ismail Lamghari, the current deputy mayor; Abdelaziz El Benin, the former regional coordinator for the Dove Party; along with the former director of the Urban Agency and the former head of the Urban Planning Department in the region, and other individuals, on charges of embezzlement of public funds by a public official by virtue of his position, contribution to the forgery of official documents, and receiving a contract benefit.
Additionally, the Public Prosecutor pursued Abdelilah Bijioui, the former Governor of the Marrakech-Safi region, whose file was referred to the Court of Cassation due to his former role as chair of the exceptions committee.
In 2018, the National Association for Human Rights and the Protection of Public Funds in Morocco filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor in Marrakech requesting an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds through the transfer of state-owned properties at low prices to elected officials and speculators.
Abdelilah Tatoush, president of the association, stated that elected officials, authority figures, and officials in external services in Marrakech were found to have agreed on transferring several state-owned properties under the guise of encouraging investment but ultimately for speculation and embezzlement of public funds. He explained that the association’s filing of the complaint was based on the discovery that several state-owned properties intended for hosting projects and public facilities as part of the royal project “Marrakech, the Renewed Metropolis,” were rented or transferred to elected officials or companies managed by individuals backed by elected officials who exploited their positions and influence to acquire these properties.
Some of the accused, pursued by the Public Prosecutor, denied knowledge of the charges or receiving any judicial decision regarding the border closure and passport withdrawal.
Mohamed Larbi Belcaid, the former mayor of Marrakech from the Justice and Development Party, said, “I am not aware of anything, and I am currently outside Morocco.”
Parliamentarian Yunis Benslimane also mentioned, “We were not presented before the public prosecutor on Friday morning, and as of now, we have no knowledge of the validity of the circulating news, nor have we received any decision or summons.”
