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Marrakech – Former Moroccan minister Mohammed Ziane, 82, has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of embezzlement and misuse of public funds, according to his lawyer. The conviction comes as Ziane is already serving a three-year sentence on separate charges.
The Rabat Court of Appeal issued its ruling in the early hours of Saturday. The case relates to funds received by the Moroccan Liberal Party (PML), which Ziane founded, during the 2015 electoral campaign. Prosecutors alleged Ziane misappropriated approximately €100,000 in state funding, according to the Spanish news outlet El Independiente.
Ziane, who served as Minister of Human Rights from 1995-1996, has been in detention since November 2022. His lawyer and son, Ali Reda Ziane, called the five-year sentence “a form of life sentence for an 81-year-old man while legally nothing has been proven,” as reported by AFP. The defense plans to appeal the ruling.
The case against Ziane was initiated by a complaint from the current leadership of the PML, accusing him of misusing public funds allocated to the party. Investigations concluded that Ziane and the other defendants were implicated in financial crimes including misappropriation of public funds, misuse of electoral support funds, and illegal fundraising.
Ziane is currently incarcerated at El Arjat prison near Rabat, serving a three-year sentence handed down in May 2023 following a complaint from the Interior Ministry on charges including insulting public officials and the judiciary, defamation, adultery and sexual harassment. He has denied all charges against him.
Two other PML officials, Rachid B. and Miloud Ch., were convicted in the same case. Rachid B. received an identical five-year sentence, while Miloud Ch. was sentenced to two years in prison, with one year suspended, and fined MAD 5,000.
Some human rights organizations have raised concerns about the fairness of the legal proceedings against Ziane and called for his release on humanitarian grounds, citing his advanced age and health issues. Ziane suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory condition affecting his spine.
