Former Moroccan Official and 16 Others to Face Trial for Alleged Corruption in Laâyoune

19 January 2021 – byGinette · 1 min read

17 people, including the former president of the municipal council of Laâyoune-El Marsa, Hassan Derham, will appear next Thursday before the investigating judge in charge of financial offenses at the Marrakech Court of Appeal. They are being prosecuted for "offenses of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds, forgery and use of forgeries, and participation each in their own right".

In addition to Derham, his deputies, councilors and municipal employees as well as subcontractors of the municipality and a former municipal tax collector are also being prosecuted in this case. The alleged facts date back to the time when Hassan Derham was heading the municipal council of Laâyoune-El Marsa, reports Alyaoum24.

The president of the National Association for the Protection of Public Property (AMPBP), Mohamed El Ghaloussi, indicated that his association, which fights against corruption and the squandering of public funds and impunity, hopes that "the case will follow its normal course within the framework of the rule of law and justice, regardless of the positions of the people involved in this case".

However, he fears that maneuvers may be underway to prevent justice from being done in this case. He stresses that the AMPBP will closely follow this trial so that all those found guilty of the various charges receive the indicated sentence, the same source specifies.

Category: Morocco

Keywords:

Corruption Trial Laayoune Fraud