Moroccan Parliament Seats Vacated as Court Dismisses Two Deputies in Corruption Case

Questioned in flagrante delicto of corruption in Rabat on October 5, 2021 after a contractor filed a complaint for extortion against him, then sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 800,000 dirhams and another of 500,000 dirhams for the civil party by the Court of Appeal of Casablanca, Said Zaidi, deputy (PPS) of the Benslimane constituency, and former president of the municipality of Cherrat, near Bouznika, was officially dismissed from his duties on Wednesday by the Constitutional Court. His UFSP colleague suffered the same fate. Accused of "misappropriation of public funds, abuse of corporate assets, forgery of official documents and corruption", he is in pre-trial detention. During Tuesday’s hearing, the Fès Court of Appeal decided to postpone the case to January 23, 2024, according to Al3omk. The Court also called for the organization of partial elections to fill the vacant seats in the electoral districts of Benslimane and Fès South, in accordance with Article 91 of the organic law relating to the House of Representatives.

The Constitutional Court explains that it relied on Article 6 of the organic law relating to the House of Representatives, which stipulates in its second paragraph that a "person who is the subject of a final decision of dismissal from any elective responsibility, either following a challenge to that decision, or due to the expiration of the appeal period without challenge, is ineligible to the Parliament", to pronounce the dismissal of the elected officials. It also took into account the appeal decision confirming the first instance judgment ordering the dismissal of Said Zaidi from his mandate on the council of the municipality of Oued Cherrat, which has become final. This paves the way for his dismissal in accordance with Article 11 of the organic law relating to the House of Representatives.

In its decision number 221/24 W.B ordering the dismissal of Abdelkader El Boussairi from his parliamentary seat, the Constitutional Court says it has taken into account the documents in the file showing that the president of the administrative court of Fès issued, on October 6, 2023, a judicial order ordering the dismissal of El Boussairi from his functions as third deputy mayor of Fès and from his mandate on the municipal council, due to his violation of the laws and regulations in force, detrimental to the ethics of the public service. In addition, a certificate of absence of appeal issued by the administrative court of Fès dated December 27, 2023 indicates that after examining the registers of the registry of the court, it appears that no appeal has been filed against the aforementioned order, after notification to the interested party on November 13, 2023 at the local prison of Bourekaïz and his refusal to receive it, adds the Court.