Belgian Engineer Released After 4 Years Moroccan Prison Custody Battle

Marc Moerman is back in Belgium. This engineer from Bruges landed in Brussels after spending more than four years in a Moroccan prison, in a case he continues to present as an injustice.

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According to HLN and VTM, the Belgian had left his country for Morocco to see his son, taken by his Moroccan ex-wife following a contentious divorce. This trip, which he thought would be short, turned into several years of detention.

Upon arrival at the airport, Marc Moerman explained that he wanted to first rebuild his life. "This chapter is now definitively closed," he stated, saying he wanted to return to work and focus on his priority: getting his son back.

His release came after leaving Toulal 1 prison in Meknès. He was then taken to the police station for final formalities, before obtaining a document from the Belgian consulate allowing him to leave Morocco.

A case born from a contentious divorce

According to his sister Nicky Moerman, problems began in 2020, after Marc’s separation from his Moroccan wife. She claims her brother was in conflict with his ex-wife over their child and financial demands.

Marc’s sister maintains that Belgian justice had examined the accusations against him and found neither proof nor evidence. She also claims that the Ghent Court of Appeal had granted him exclusive custody of the child.

The ex-wife allegedly then went to Morocco with their son before filing a complaint against Marc Moerman with Moroccan authorities. The Belgian was arrested and convicted in this case.

According to his family, he initially received a three-year prison sentence, before his sentence was increased to eight years on appeal, then reduced to five years after cassation. He was ultimately released before serving his full sentence.

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His sister denounces a procedure she considers unjust and claims this case cost Marc Moerman over 150,000 euros in legal and court fees. The man himself wants for now to close the chapter on prison. His goal remains to see his son again.