Former Moroccan MP Sentenced to 12 Years for Real Estate Fraud and Money Laundering

The criminal chamber in charge of financial crimes at the Casablanca Court of Appeal has aggravated the conviction at first instance of the former MP from the Ain Chock constituency, the mastermind of a network specialized in land forgery and spoliation in Casablanca. According to the customs department, he had committed serious violations of the foreign exchange regulations by using fictitious companies, money laundering and currency trafficking. The defendant was sentenced to 12 years in prison, reports the Arabic-language daily Assabah. Conversely, a Turkish defendant sees his sentence reduced. As for the sentences of the other co-defendants, they have been maintained.

These judgments are motivated by the conclusions of the investigation by the elements of the BNPJ: manipulation of real estate in the upscale neighborhoods of Casablanca, on the surrounding land, dubious transfers to the accounts of fictitious companies, new evidence demonstrating the extent of the fraud. An active mafia in Europe and Africa is behind this network that uses remotely-run companies to win public contracts. The network excels in invoice forgery, the use of fictitious companies, currency trafficking, drug money laundering and the spoliation of real estate and land.