British Tourist Faces Decade in Moroccan Prison for Alleged Counterfeit Ring

Last week, Alanna Cornick, Oliver Andrew’s partner, arrived in Morocco to attend the trial of the 29-year-old Briton, but the hearing was postponed to April 11. She says she briefly saw her companion. "It was horrible. As soon as I entered the courtroom, I started crying. It was horrible to see him and not be able to talk to him," she confides to BBC.

Arrived in Marrakech with a friend to spend a vacation there, Oliver was arrested by the Moroccan police at the hotel where he was staying on November 11, 2022 in Marrakech, after being accused of having used counterfeit currency to pay for a drink. He and his friend were charged with counterfeiting currency and forming an organized criminal group and were incarcerated.

Alanna Cornick fears that her companion "may be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison". She also says that Oliver was among the 32 people detained in a cell of 12 people without bedding or fresh air. In the meantime, he has been transferred to another cell offering "better conditions" and is allowed to make a 10-minute phone call twice a week, adds Alanna.