Moroccan Officials Accused of Fraud and Blackmail in ’Desert Escobar’ Villa Scandal

Bioui’s ex-wife, to whom the villa belonged, stated during her interrogation that the latter had had a false power of attorney drawn up in her name to sell the villa to her brother-in-law. She adds that having discovered the deception, she filed a complaint against him with the justice system. But she ended up withdrawing the complaint because of the blackmail of her ex-husband who managed, with the complicity of Naciri, to have her mother imprisoned for aggravated theft.

Bioui’s ex-wife recounts that she therefore had to give in to all of the latter’s demands, in exchange for the release of her mother. Bioui asked her to withdraw her complaint and produce a certified statement confirming that the signature on the power of attorney used to sell the villa is indeed hers, which she did. This is how the villa was transferred to Bioui’s brother-in-law’s name. But it is the Malian trafficker known as the "Desert Escobar" who began to use the villa for his illegal activities, having allegedly bought it for 3 million dirhams, but without transferring it to his name.

The same sources specify that the villa then passed into the name of Saïd Naciri who would have bought it for an amount of 3.25 million dirhams paid in 5 checks of 650,000 dirhams. Checks that had not been cashed due to their illegality. During his interrogation, Naciri explained having paid in cash and recovered the checks.