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Join on Telegram Rabat – Casablanca’s Court of Appeals has denied the request for temporary release for Mohammed Al-Haidawi, a Moroccan politician and President of the football club Olympique Safi, who had been sentenced to one and a half years in prison in the Qatar World Cup tickets scandal.
According to converging reports, Al-Haidawi’s lawyer Mohammed Benmalek argued during a trial on Monday that his client should be granted temporary release, citing his status as a parliamentarian and businessman and emphasizing that he does not pose a threat to society.
He also claimed that there was no serious criminal evidence against his client in the case.
However, the prosecution rejected the request for temporary release during the same trial session, leading to the Court of Appeals’ subsequent decision to deny the request two days later.
Benmalek, in his plea to the court, urged the judicial authorities not to be swayed by public opinion or media coverage, arguing that Al-Haidawi had been treated unfairly in the case.
Read also: Sports Official, Journalist Sentenced in Qatar World Cup Ticket Scandal
The president of the Court of Appeals in Casablanca has scheduled a session for October 30 to continue hearing statements from witnesses in the case, including four individuals who are friends of Al-Haidawi and are affiliated with the same political party as him, the National Rally of Independents (RNI).
During his trial, Al-Haidawii maintained his innocence and denied any involvement in the ticket scandal, arguing that he did not purchase the tickets or acquire them from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) for resale.
He claimed that he obtained the tickets with his personal money through Adil Al Amari, and transferred the money to his account as he did not have the cash on hand at the time. Al-Haidawi further added that he distributed these tickets free of charge to people close to him, refuting any allegations of reselling them to anyone.
