Moroccan expats defrauded: fake apartment scandal in Rabat

The suspect now sleeps behind bars at Al Arjat 2 prison. Presented Wednesday before the investigating judge in Témara, he is being prosecuted for fraud and embezzlement. The investigation has already identified 287 official victims who believed they were purchasing a social or intermediate housing unit.

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Lured by targeted commercial offers and received in luxurious offices in Rabat, in the Agdal and Hay Riad neighborhoods, buyers paid substantial down payments covering 80% of the price. These advance payments reached 200,000 dirhams for budget properties and 400,000 dirhams for premium units.

But since 2021, the dream of homeownership has turned into a nightmare. Buyers suffered endless delays before realizing that some properties had been resold multiple times. "He gave us payment receipts and advertising documents, but so far we have never seen a single stone of these buildings," defrauded victims told the daily newspaper Assabah. Exasperated, buyers finally cornered the suspect after numerous sit-ins organized in Rabat, notably in front of an annex of the Ministry of Interior. During his custody, investigators made a chilling discovery: the thirty-year-old’s bank account is completely empty.

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This resounding scandal extends beyond Moroccan borders. Many Moroccans residing abroad are among the victims of this well-oiled machine and are actively preparing their return to Morocco to file civil claims. The suspect’s impunity is all the more shocking given that his construction site began in the strictest illegality. The builder had indeed never settled the purchase of the land on which the buildings were to be erected, a plot actually belonging to heirs.