Belgian Father Arrested in Morocco Amid International Child Custody Dispute

Marc went to Morocco to find his Moroccan ex-wife who had left Belgium in February with their son, Malik. She had even been sentenced in Belgium to one year in prison, for non-presentation of a child, reports La Dernière heure. The Belgian was trying to get in touch with her to sort things out when he was arrested by the Moroccan police.

For Me Mehdi Abbes, Marc’s lawyer, his client would have fallen into a "trap" set by his ex-wife’s family. "Everything seemed to be working out. By talking to the lady’s brother, we thought we would reach an agreement, for the child’s best interest. The agreement was to be finalized at a meeting scheduled for Monday at 2:30 p.m. in a downtown cafe. No one was there. More precisely, police officers were waiting for Marc M.," the lawyer said.

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In fact, the woman had filed a complaint against Marc in Belgium and Morocco, accusing him of serious acts. The Moroccan police rightly demanded proof of the mother of Malik’s conviction. "Sir, we would like to believe you, we would like to believe that the lady is convicted in Belgium, but we have no document to confirm it," the investigators stressed.

The Belgian justice system had issued a European arrest warrant against Marc’s ex-partner in August. "But since she is of Moroccan origin, it was obvious that an international arrest warrant had to be issued, and not a warrant stopping at the European borders," notes Me Mehdi Abbes. "He is very affected morally... He is working on a big project in China where he has to go in January, for six months. For this father, it was unthinkable to remain without news of Malik until July..." the lawyer added.

The Belgian embassy and consulate general in Morocco have been informed of Marc’s situation. He should receive a visit from the Consul General at the Meknes prison tomorrow Friday.