Trial Begins for Factory Owner in Deadly Tangier Workshop Flood

At the request of the defense, the judge decided to postpone the trial to a later date. The state of health of the main accused continues to deteriorate, the lawyer said, stressing that he is unable to appear before the court.

The accused is still being prosecuted in pre-trial detention, for involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm and offenses related to the Labor Code. According to Alyaoum24, the public prosecutor had ordered, as part of the judicial procedure, the hearing of the main accused as well as the presumed persons involved in the case.

About 29 bodies, mostly women, had been extracted from the underground levels of a villa, in a residential area of Tanger. The torrential rains that had hit the northern capital had caused considerable material damage.

Since then, several human rights associations and NGOs have demanded the opening of a judicial inquiry, in order to determine all the responsibilities.