Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – The Court of Appeals of Fez has sentenced MP Mohamed Aberkane to five years in prison for different charges related to financial crimes.
A senior member of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), Aberkane will face a five-year prison term in addition to a fine estimated at $9,929.
The disgraced MP and eight others involved in the case were prosecuted for charges including “participation in forgery in official documents, involvement in the delivery or order of delivery of administrative documents as well as the creation of unauthorized land subdivisions and residential complexes.”
They were also charged with participating in construction without permits.
The case dates back to an investigation in 2021, when authorities ordered a financial corruption probe in the municipality of Lazanen in the Nador province, in Morocco’s Oriental region.
According to SNRTnews, the trial began in May 2023, but it had been delayed due to the absence of most witnesses. The witnesses were forcibly brought in and fined 3,000 MAD or $300 each in December of last year.
In addition to Aberkane, two MPs from the Lazanen municipality were also sentenced to one in prison and fined MAD 10,000 ($1,000) each.
Late last year, the annual report of the Moroccan police detailed that specialized law enforcement units in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, and Marrakech handled 529 cases related to financial economic crimes throughout the year, including bribery abuse of power, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and extortion.
Financial crimes rate increased by nearly 14% compared to 2022, the report said. Meanwhile, the report added, the number of suspects investigated for financial crimes reached 693 last year, including 322 suspects involved in bribery and abuse of power and 259 suspects in embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds cases, in addition to 112 in extortion and misuse of authority cases.
