Morocco Deputy Money Laundering Trial Jerada Scandal

A new legal proceeding targets Mbarka Toutou, former deputy and former president of Jerada municipality. She must appear on October 3rd before the chamber handling money laundering cases at the court of first instance in Fès.

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The former elected official will be tried alongside two other individuals. At this stage, this is a legal proceeding and the accused benefit from the presumption of innocence.

According to information reported by Goud, this appearance comes more than two years after a previous case in which Mbarka Toutou had been cleared of serious accusations related to the management of Jerada municipality.

The case originates from a complaint filed in late 2020 by a human rights defense association with the public prosecutor’s office. This complaint targeted the management of the former municipal official and raised suspicions regarding the use of public funds.

A case from Jerada

Among the elements cited in the complaint were notably fuel expenses deemed abnormally high for a municipality the size of Jerada. The association also mentioned the coverage of expenses that allegedly concerned other administrations, as well as the use of vehicles or equipment reported as non-functional.

The case also mentioned suspicions surrounding lists of municipal workers. According to the complaint, their number increased significantly between 2016 and 2019, with individuals presented as absent or not effectively performing their duties.

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Other grievances concerned telephone subscriptions, subsidies to associations and the alleged use of service vehicles for personal purposes.