Land Expropriation Trial Resumes in Fez: 38 Officials Face Forgery Charges

The accused, detained in the Bourkaiz prison, participated in this hearing in person, after having been heard by videoconference from a prison room during the two previous hearings. At the last hearing held two months ago, the court added the file of the deputy for collective lands in the Midelt region, bringing the number of accused to 38, who are being prosecuted for document forgery for the purpose of expropriating real estate.

The Fez court rejected the requests for provisional release of the accused, including a judge from the court of first instance in Sefrou, a lawyer from the Meknes bar, an Istiqlal municipal councilor in Ifrane, civil servants and notaries. The court had postponed the previous hearing due to the absence of certain accused. This network of forgers was dismantled a few weeks ago by the regional brigade of the judicial police.

The accused are being prosecuted for belonging to a criminal network, corruption, preparation of documents relating to the transfer or renunciation or usufruct of real estate belonging to a collective community, forgery of private and administrative documents, and forgery of official documents.