Verdict Nears for Fiancé in Casablanca Rape Case Controversy

Mohamed Amine Naguib, the fiancé of the French lawyer allegedly raped in early November 2024 during a party in a residence in Ain Diab, Casablanca, was arrested in January at Mohammed V airport as soon as he returned from Paris. He was the subject of a complaint filed against him by the Casablanca Bar Association. The court of first instance had sentenced him to three months in prison. He is accused of statements made in an audio recording with one of his friends. He tells him about the details of his appearance before the investigating judge of the Casablanca Court of Appeal, and the circumstances of his withdrawal of the complaint he had filed against the accused - sons of wealthy businessmen - currently in detention. A pure violation of the secrecy of the investigation.

In the same audio recording, the person concerned, also prosecuted at large on other counts of indictment in the context of this alleged rape case, is heard insulting and insulting the lawyer of one of the accused. The recording also includes an attack on the work of the public prosecutor’s office and the investigating justice in the exercise of its functions, in accordance with the legal procedures in force.

On Friday, the Casablanca Court of Appeal heard all the parties involved in the case, including the accused and his defense, as well as the victim and her lawyers. On this occasion, the defense of Mohamed Amine Naguib asked the court to summon the person who had disclosed the audio recording on social networks. According to her, this act is at the origin of the arrest of her client. "The accusation against my client was fabricated in order to put pressure on him in the ’Oulad El Fchouch’ case, which is still under detailed investigation by the investigating judge," she added.

According to her, her client preferred imprisonment rather than yielding to these maneuvers. "The reality is that the person who published and disseminated the telephone recording should have been incarcerated for several weeks, in accordance with the provisions of the Penal Code," continued the defense of the accused, also stating that her client "suffers from a serious health condition, as evidenced by a long-term medical certificate."

At the end of Friday’s hearing, the Casablanca Court of Appeal plans to deliver its verdict on March 19.