Moroccan Police Commissioner Faces Appeal in Torture Case, New Forgery Charges

An acting judicial police commissioner working in Imintanout was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 100,000 dirhams on January 10, 2023 for torturing a suspect. But he is still facing justice, as the public prosecutor has appealed this judgment. His second trial thus opened in March 2023 before the criminal chamber (2nd degree) of Marrakech. He is accused of having committed violence against a defendant, denounced by a report from the king’s prosecutor near the court of first instance which noted traces on his face. He is also being prosecuted for falsification of official documents.

According to the victim’s version, the commissioner tortured him with an electric baton, reports the daily Assabah, adding that the attorney general of the king near the court of appeal of Marrakech opened an investigation on the basis of the report drawn up by the public prosecutor’s office of Imintanout. During his hearing, the victim confirmed that he had been exposed to violence and threats from the police commissioner and his collaborators during his detention. This followed a complaint filed against him by a building materials merchant. The same commissioner was convicted in another case. He has in fact been definitively dismissed from his duties within the judicial police.

After the postponement of several hearings due to the absence of the accused, the second trial continues before the criminal chamber (2nd degree) of Marrakech. On Wednesday, it postponed the hearing to June 5 to allow the public prosecutor to summon two witnesses. Four witnesses have already given their version of the torture the plaintiff allegedly suffered.