Doha – Former world champion kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik, 33, has been released under conditions in an ongoing investigation into a kidnapping linked to the drug trade, the prosecutor general’s office announced on Monday.
According to Belgian media Gazet van Antwerpen, the Belgian-Moroccan fighter was arrested in early July in connection with the abduction of a 29-year-old man from Antwerp. The victim, reportedly a dock worker, was allegedly kidnapped after failing to fulfill agreements related to a drug shipment extraction.
Ben Saddik was initially detained on suspicion of kidnapping with death threats, illegal weapons possession, and participation in a criminal organization. He denies these allegations. After several weeks in custody, the Court of Appeal allowed him to leave prison with an electronic monitoring device.
Two weeks ago, the council chamber decided to release Ben Saddik under conditions without the ankle monitor, but the prosecution appealed. On Monday, the Court of Appeal upheld the council chamber’s decision, resulting in Ben Saddik’s conditional release.
This is not the first time the Belgian-Moroccan fighter has faced legal troubles. In March 2021, he was briefly imprisoned for allegedly selling encrypted phones used by criminals in the Sky ECC case.
In 2022, his family’s property was targeted in a series of attacks believed to be related to a drug trade dispute. Most recently, Ben Saddik was sentenced to 40 months in prison and fined 40,000 euros for money laundering and fraud.
While never convicted of drug trafficking, Ben Saddik remains under investigation in the Sky ECC case and an inquiry into a criminal organization suspected of large-scale cocaine importation and money laundering.
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