Moroccan MP on Trial for Corruption and Document Falsification in Nador Scandal

The deputy has been brought before the courts for corruption, falsification of official documents, unauthorized subdivision and anarchic construction, reports the daily Al Akhbar. The one who calls himself "The Emperor of Nador", his son, president of the commune of Iaazanene at the time of the facts, as well as seven other people, appeared on Tuesday before the chamber in charge of financial crimes near the court of appeal of Fès, we are told.

The MP was prosecuted following an investigation by the BNPJ based on a report from the Court of Auditors on the management of the commune of Iaazanene for the period 2010-2016. During this period, the president of the commune issued 227 non-compliant building permits, the investigation reveals. Between 2015 and 2017, the commune, then led by the deputy’s son Aberchane, also issued building permits without respecting the legal requirements, and this with the complicity of other elected officials and civil servants from the urban planning department of the commune.

The deputy, for his part, then held the position of first vice-president and was the direct interlocutor of the commune with the applicants for permits who, in return, had to finance his election campaigns. Some applicants told investigators that they had obtained their building permit without providing all the required documents. They offered bribes of 2,000 to 5,000 dirhams for this service. Others claimed to have paid between 400,000 and 1.2 million dirhams to obtain these permits.