High-Ranking Moroccan Gendarmes Face Trial for Money Laundering in Drug Trafficking Case

Already convicted of corruption and participation in an international drug trafficking, 24 gendarmes, including colonels-major and colonels, will be tried before the court of first instance for money laundering, as defined in the 1988 Vienna Convention. The latter decided to postpone the hearing due to the absence of a colonel-major prosecuted as part of this case. The latter had been sentenced to two years in prison, including one year suspended. The court also required the presence of a colonel sentenced to six years in prison and being the only person involved in this case still in prison, reports the Arabic-language daily Al Akhbar.

In 2019, the court of first instance had sentenced the gendarmes to a total of 61 years in prison, distributed according to their degree of involvement. They had received 76 years in prison on appeal. Among them, five colonels sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to six years.