Woman Claims to be Secret Daughter of Late Moroccan King in Belgian Court Battle

Ms. Benzaquen claims that her mother, Cécile Benzaquen, would have had an affair with Hassan II when he was still crown prince. She relies on a genetic analysis that "has established that she cannot have a Belgian-Belgian origin," calling into question the paternity of Raoul Jossart, the man who appears on her birth certificate.

Morocco vigorously contests her claims and accuses her of forgery, fraud and fictitious domicile. "She lives in Israel where her family and her work are still located," declares Me Stanislas Eskenazi, lawyer for the Moroccan government, specifying that she was still working recently in a hotel in Tel Aviv and doubts the reality of her residence in Belgium.

"In June 2022, the thing seems to be settled: Mrs. Benzaquen is domiciled in Waterloo," ironizes Me Eskenazi. "In fact, according to us, this is false." He accuses her of having "resurrected a Belgian identity card dormant for 34 years" to circumvent the Belgian law which requires that the applicant for paternity recognition reside in Belgium.

The Uyttendaele firm, which had successfully defended Delphine Boël in her quest for paternity recognition from King Albert II, represents Ms. Benzaquen. It denounces an "attempt to silence her" and "to divert public attention from the real question: the genetic test."

"The attitude of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan royal family tends to reinforce our client’s conviction as to her family origins," says Me Julien Uyttendaele. "Why does the royal family refrain from reacting when it is a party to the case before the family court? Why does the Kingdom of Morocco intervene on its own initiative in this procedure by claiming to substitute for the royal family in the context of this same procedure? Why is Morocco spending so much energy (voluntary intervention in the civil procedure, filing of a criminal complaint, media interventions, etc.) to harm the reputation of our client? This attitude leaves no doubt about the discomfort of the Moroccan royal family with regard to this procedure..."

The case is complicated by the death of all the key witnesses to Ms. Benzaquen’s story, including her mother and Raoul Jossart. Pending the criminal justice decision on the charges of forgery and fictitious domicile, the civil procedure for paternity recognition is suspended. A new hearing will be held shortly in Nivelles.