DJ Van faces justice: threats against Saad Lamjarred and allegations of misappropriation

In 2019, composer Mohamed Rifai and lyricist Samir El Moujari filed charges against DJ Van. According to them, he unilaterally concluded a contract with Universal Music regarding the distribution of the famous song "Enty Baghya Wahed" without informing them. They do not enjoy the material and intellectual rights, while Rifai revealed to Al3omk that the song has generated financial revenues close to 2 million dirhams, which DJ Van has exclusively benefited from. An approach he describes as an "illegal appropriation" of the work’s revenues. He denounces a "clear fraud operation". The two men then brought the case to court.

Last year, the list of plaintiffs expanded. Saad Lamjarred accuses DJ Van of having "falsified" his signature on documents related to international distribution contracts. He stated that he had not concluded any such agreement. In the wake of this, DJ Van threatened the singer. Following the hearing of the two parties by the judicial police and the transmission of the full report, the public prosecutor’s office at the court of first instance in Marrakech decided to prosecute the music distributor while at liberty. According to Saad Lamjarred’s lawyer, the opening of the prosecution "is within the legal prerogatives of the public prosecutor’s office and after the completion of the preliminary investigations". He adds: the case follows the rules of fair trial enshrined in the Constitution.

The file has reached its final stages with a view to issuing a judgment for compensation, based on a financial expert report filed with the courts, Rifai said. In a statement, the rights holders said that the expertise carried out on the order of the Marrakech Court of Appeal has shown that DJ Van was the sole beneficiary of the substantial revenues generated by the song on digital platforms, particularly YouTube and Spotify, without granting El Moujari and Rifai, both original creators of the text and melody, any share of the profits.