Key Figure in Morocco’s Bab Darna Real Estate Scandal Arrested in Ivory Coast

Othmane El Boufkaoui did not enter the new year in freedom. The one who acts as the deputy general manager of the real estate group, Bab Darna, was apprehended in the Ivorian capital, after evading the Moroccan authorities since the outbreak of the scandal, reports Hespress, adding that the latter was trying to take refuge with his sister in Abidjan.

If he managed to escape the radar of the Moroccan authorities, Othmane El Boufkaoui is nevertheless not a small fry at Bab Darna, a company in which he wields a lot of influence. Relying on his position as No. 2 of the group, El Ouardi had entrusted him with the management of several other Bab Darna subsidiaries, including Rasmal Invest, Medi House, Medina Blanca, and the Bouskoura Park.

As part of this major real estate scandal, the Moroccan authorities have received more than 800 complaints from victims who have been completely duped. To these, El Ouardi and his associates offered outrageous possibilities of acquiring apartments at very competitive prices, in relation to the costs practiced on the market.

In this case, which by far represents the biggest real estate scam in Morocco, 7 people have already been apprehended. They face sentences ranging from 1 to 5 years in prison, accompanied by fines ranging from 500 to 5000 dirhams as provided for by the Moroccan Penal Code, for fraud cases. According to the same source, the same code provides for prison sentences of 6 months to 3 years for cases of breach of trust, accompanied by fines of 200 to 2000 dirhams.