Schengen Visa Forgery Ring Busted in Morocco: Prison Sentences and Fines Handed Down

The main defendants in this case received more than 18 years in prison cumulatively for forgery and use of forgery, complicity in illegal immigration, assistance to persons to leave the national territory without fulfilling the regulatory obligations, reports Al Massae. Three people, including two tried in absentia, were sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 10,000 dirhams for their involvement in this network, one year in prison and the same fine for four other defendants prosecuted for complicity in the illegal immigration of persons and finally 18 months in prison for four other defendants prosecuted for falsification of administrative, commercial and banking documents, it is detailed.

There are 34 individuals arrested as part of the investigation. Their arrests follow a complaint filed by the French consulate in Fez against a network of visa and other administrative document forgery. The consulate had discovered that documents presented to it as part of Schengen visa applications were forged. The arrested persons come from different cities in the region, and are mostly young unemployed people. Among them are also a bank employee, an authority auxiliary and civil servants who would have helped the members of this network to obtain false administrative and banking certificates to support visa applications for several people.

While 11 of them were tried and convicted, others prosecuted for forgery and use of forgery have not yet been. Fifteen defendants, including 5 young girls, were acquitted.