Moroccan Deputy Prosecutor Sentenced to 6 Months for Corruption in Landmark Case

The criminal chamber of the Court of Appeal of Rabat handed down this decision last week, reports the daily Al Akhbar, recalling that the magistrate was prosecuted in custody for corruption, abuse of power and blackmail. The accused, deputy prosecutor general of the king in Tangier, was arrested near a motorway rest area at the entrance to the city of Kenitra, while receiving a sum of 20,000 dirhams in order to intervene in a case before the Tangier court.

The case came to light at the end of June last year, after a litigant called the green number of the public prosecutor’s office to denounce the accused who had allegedly blackmailed him. The accused was presented to the judge after a trip to Spain, a trip he says he made for health reasons. For some observers, the magistrate had tried to flee to avoid being prosecuted by justice. At the end of the thorough investigation, he was sentenced on September 4 to 6 months in prison.