Moroccan Parliament Leader Sentenced to 3 Years for Embezzlement

Prosecuted on provisional release before the criminal chamber at the Court of Appeal of Casablanca in charge of financial crimes for "embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds", Mehdi Atmoun was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison and a fine of 30,000 dirhams, reports the Arabic-language daily Al Akhbar. The nine other defendants, including municipal technicians, entrepreneurs and civil servants, tried for the same reasons, were also sentenced to various prison terms. Two defendants were sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams, while three others were sentenced to one year in prison, with a fine of 10,000 dirhams. The Chamber sentenced two other defendants to six months in prison and a fine of 500 dirhams. As for the last defendant, he was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison.

The facts they are accused of date back to 2009. The National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ) had just conducted an investigation based on a report from the Regional Audit Office on the management of the urban commune of Khouribga (2003-2009). This investigation had revealed serious violations. At the time, Mehdi Atmoun was the president of the commune. He had won several tenders worth 536,730 dirhams through a company of which he was the director. The report also highlighted a contract with a budget envelope of 898,650.00 dirhams, for electrical equipment. The company had been paid for "work that was only done on paper".