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By Safaa Kasraoui and Perri Huggins
Rabat – A public prosecutor announced on July 29 the decision of an investigating judge to place Moroccan journalist Omar Radi in custody for his alleged involvement in a “violent rape case” and receipt of funds from a foreign agent.
Morocco World News obtained exclusive information from a source close to the dossier. The official asked to speak on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. The source said the alleged victim who filed a complaint against Radi works as a public relations manager for a French-language news outlet. They did not specify if the outlet is Moroccan.
The woman claimed Omar Radi “raped her violently.” The veracity of the allegation is yet to be confirmed, pending the ongoing investigation.
The source also disclosed to MWN exclusive information on the charges Radi faces for his alleged involvement in receiving funds from a foreign agent.
The source said Radi “should explain himself on charges of spying” on Morocco in coordination with Dutch services who “paid him generously.”
Radi denies involvement
Morocco World News contacted Radi on June 24 for comment on the matter. The same day, judicial police had summoned him for questioning to determine his potential involvement in obtaining foreign financing related to “intelligence services.”
Radi dismissed allegations that he received foreign money, telling Morocco World News that Moroccan authorities “have nothing” against him.
“Let me ask you this, if the Moroccan authorities have proof that I work for a suspicious source or ‘spying body’ then why was I not arrested so I can give my statements? The authorities have nothing against me,” he claimed.
The statements from MWN’s source contest Radi’s response. They claim Omar Radi was in “regular contact with the political secretary of the Dutch embassy, who had seen him several times in his office and with whom he exchanged telephone messages.”
Radi is under investigation to determine his potential involvement in the rape case and clarify the veracity and, if applicable, extent of his alleged collaboration with foreign services.
The source’s information backs Morocco’s claims that Omar Radi has been working with a foreign entity. However, the government has never publicly indicated any specific connection between Radi and Dutch services.
Omar Radi, Morocco, and Amnesty International
Omar Radi has featured in recent headlines on a related matter. Amnesty International alleged the Moroccan government had carried out “cyber-spying attacks” against the journalist in a June 22 report.
Morocco refuted the allegations against its government, repeatedly calling on Amnesty International to provide material evidence to back its claims.
Amnesty International is yet to deliver a detailed response to Morocco’s concerns with the report.
When Morocco World News asked Radi on June 24 why the Moroccan government would want to spy on him, he laughed and said, “I don’t know, ask them.”
