Morocco Sentences Rapper Maes to Seven-Year Prison Term

Rabat – French-Moroccan rapper Maes, born Walid Georgey, has been sentenced to seven years in prison by the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Tangier. 

The ruling follows his arrest in Casablanca in January 2025, when he arrived on a private jet at Mohammed V Airport.

The verdict was delivered last night. Moroccan authorities found the artist responsible for orchestrating, from abroad, a punitive operation linked to a financial dispute. 

At the time, Maes was residing in Dubai and is accused of planning the kidnapping and unlawful confinement of a man with whom he was in conflict over concert-related revenues.

According to the investigation, Maes contacted the presumed leader of a group in Fez to prepare an operation aimed at capturing and torturing the target in Marrakech. The preparatory meeting allegedly took place in Tangier. 

The plan was interrupted at the last moment by police forces, as the suspected perpetrators were preparing to intercept the victim upon exiting his vehicle.

The inquiry, conducted by the National Brigade of the Judicial Police, revealed the central role played by one of the executors, the owner of a shisha café, who reportedly acted as an intermediary for traffickers. 

His phone reportedly contained images of weapons as well as significant quantities of hashish. The charges retained against those involved include attempted voluntary murder, kidnapping and unlawful confinement, and the formation of a criminal gang.

The case also comes as Maes was already under a previous conviction in France. In June 2024, he had been sentenced in absentia to ten months in prison and a €10,000 fine, but never appeared before the court. 

An international arrest warrant had subsequently been issued, including from Dubai, where he had settled with his family. His arrest at Mohammed V Airport marked the end of his time in hiding.

Before the Tangier court, Maes denied all allegations. His defense maintained that no direct evidence linked him to the other defendants, in particular Mourad L., who was presented as the leader of the group.

Despite these arguments, the court upheld the charges. Mourad L. received a ten-year prison sentence, while Tarik L. was sentenced to seven years and four other defendants to five years in prison.