Royal Heist: Trial Begins for 25 Accused in King Mohammed VI’s Watch Theft

According to al3omk.com and several other local media, it all started with a complaint filed by the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery, reporting the disappearance of several valuable watches under unresolved circumstances.

At first, suspicions fell on a former employee of the Marrakech palace as the main suspect, spreading to a security guard and several jewelers, febrayer.com reports, adding that the main suspect confessed to the facts. Having formed a criminal gang of theft and complicity with several other co-defendants, he therefore removed the clocks from the palace.

For its part, the daily Al Massae details that these individuals, accused of "forming a criminal gang, theft and complicity", had to "dismantle the stolen watches" in order to "extract the precious stones or gold" and then "sell them in various parts of the country".

Further on, the same newspaper indicates that in addition to the watches, this same criminal network also stole several other valuable objects, without however citing them. And to add that these outlaws, accused of "disclosure of secrets", "breach of trust" and "aggravated theft", face heavy sentences.

The Spanish agency EFE notes, for its part, that so far this case has not been raised by any official body, as it directly affects the private life of the sovereign. Among the rich collection of luxury watches owned by Mohammed VI, the Spanish media points out, is a unique piece from the Swiss brand Patek Philippe. Its value: 1,200,000 euros!