Belgian Man Gets 8-Year Sentence in Morocco for Alleged Family Sexual Abuse

Since his arrest, Marc Moerman has always denied the facts, stressing that he has been the victim of a trap set up from scratch by his in-laws who are pursuing purely financial objectives. On April 14, the 58-year-old father had been sentenced in the first instance by the Meknes court to 3 years’ imprisonment. But convinced of his innocence, he appealed even though he knew he could reap a much heavier and final sentence, reports Dernière heure.

For his lawyers, Maitres Samiha El Merini and Abderrahim Ababou, this case is the story of a divorce that went wrong. After twenty years of living together and following a separation, his ex-wife accused him of sexual abuse. The investigation carried out in Belgium could not determine the veracity of the facts, even entrusting him with the full custody of his son "kidnapped" by Samira, his ex-wife who took refuge in Morocco. For the Belgian Court of Appeal, Samira’s accusations lacked credibility.

Thinking he was on the right side, Marc Moerman, accompanied by a Brussels lawyer, had gone to Morocco in November 2021 to try to find his son. It was without knowing that, rejected by the Belgian justice system, Samira had filed a complaint for the same reasons in Morocco against him. While he thought he was going to a meeting organized by the in-laws to allow him to see his 5-year-old son, he would be arrested, presented to the investigating judge, incarcerated and sentenced. The opposing party had a compromising audio recording made without the knowledge of the chemical engineer. Even if a medico-legal expertise carried out at the request of the Moroccan justice system established that the young girl, a member of Samira’s family, who claims to have been raped as a child, has in fact not suffered rape, Marc Moerman will be convicted of indecent assault.

Detained for nine months in the Toulal 2 prison, the family man is living in extremely difficult conditions. The case is being closely followed by the Belgian embassy in Morocco. Even if his loved ones regularly call him by phone, they hope they will succeed in obtaining from Morocco the possibility that he serve his sentence in Belgium.

For her part, Samira was sentenced by default in Belgium for non-presentation of a child, to one year’s imprisonment. The conviction is not taken into account by the Moroccan authorities.