Real Estate Scandal in Morocco Widens: More Executives Arrested in ’Bab Darna’ Case

Like an endless trap, the "Bab Darna" real estate scandal reveals new elements every day. The arrest of El Ouardi, the founding president of the real estate group on November 21, and then of his personal accountant, the Guinean Mohamed Touré, paved the way for the arrest of several other accomplices.

The daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia reports that the security services have arrested two new group executives. These are the commercial director, Hicham El Bouamrani, and Faila Othmane, a close associate of El Ouardi and sole partner of an SARL. It is notably in the name of this company called "Bab Darna Holding" that El Ouardi "issued rubber checks given to the aggrieved reservists in this case," the newspaper quoted by Le360 points out.

Accused of fraud, breach of trust and criminal conspiracy, these two new executives have been brought before the competent prosecutor’s office in Casablanca. As for the notary, the daily specifies, he was taken into custody, after being heard by the investigators at the Casablanca police prefecture.

In total, this case will have revealed a dozen "fictitious" real estate projects marketed by the "Bab Darna" group over the past two years. More than 1,200 reservists were defrauded by El Ouardi and his accomplices who still owe them more than 400 million dirhams in unreturned advances.