Moroccan Man Walks 700km to Paris, Seeking Justice Minister’s Ear in Divorce Dispute

Abdel Merzak disputes the amount of the alimony he has to pay. He believes that the magistrate in charge of the case on appeal did not take his file into account, and has therefore decided to make himself heard by the Minister of Justice. This is how he undertook to go on foot to Paris from Fleurance to point out to the ministry, Place Vendôme, in the hope of meeting the Keeper of the Seals. After covering nearly 700 kilometers in more than two weeks, Abdel Merzak arrived on Monday near the French capital, reports La Dépêche.

The Moroccan has been separated since 2017 from his ex-wife and mother of his two daughters. The courts have decided, as part of the divorce, to grant a monthly alimony of 1,300 euros to the mother that he should pay. "Madam stole two pay slips from 2015 for the hearing, at the end of 2017, but which were no longer relevant since I no longer had that salary for many months. I agree to give a pension to my daughters, it is quite normal. But I won’t be able to give that amount," explains Abdel Merzak.

His lawyer did not diligently transmit his current pay slip to the judge who ended up making her decision without having taken note of these documents. The Moroccan then changes lawyers and decides to appeal the decision in 2018, without however paying the pensions. "I was entitled to bailiffs, they seized my salary directly from my employer for twelve months, they left me the equivalent of the RSA to live on for a year. Once my rent was paid, I had 20 euros left to live on," he adds. This withholding at source is untenable for the father who earns 1,500 euros.

At the appeal hearing, the judge sets the alimony at 900 euros and also restricts his right of visitation. He is only entitled to one hour of visitation every two weeks in a place managed by an association. "I called them to organize these visits, and they tell me that there are not enough educators to handle my case. For six months, I can’t even see them for two minutes!" laments Abdel Merzak who is already at "practically eight years of proceedings". His journey to Paris is followed on Facebook by 300 people who offer him overnight stays in hotels. On Monday evening, he was in Longjumeau, 20 kilometers from Paris.