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Marrakech – The Criminal Chamber of First Instance at the Casablanca Court of Appeal convicted former minister Mohamed Moubdii on Thursday of embezzling public funds, handing him a 13-year prison sentence and a fine of MAD 30 million ($3 million).
Born in 1954 in Fkih Ben Salah, Moubdii is a senior figure in the opposition Popular Movement party and a longtime parliamentary deputy. He presided over the commune of Fkih Ben Salah for more than two decades across six consecutive terms starting in 1997.
His uninterrupted grip on the city earned him the nickname “emperor” among critics, with some dubbing him the “eternal president” of the municipality. He served as Minister Delegate for Public Service between 2013 and 2016 under the government of Abdelilah Benkirane, a post he secured despite not holding a baccalaureate degree.
The charges against him included dilapidation and embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power, corruption, forgery, use of forged documents, and participation in producing a falsified medical certificate.
The case also involved suspicious banking operations, unjustified financial transfers, and irregularities in the awarding of public procurement contracts tied to urban development projects in Fkih Ben Salah.
The trial stretched over several months. Moubdii stood trial alongside multiple co-defendants, including civil servants, contractors, and engineers. The prosecution requested his conviction and the seizure of funds linked to the alleged irregularities, arguing the case file contained sufficient documentation to substantiate the charges.
Before presiding judge Ali Torchi placed the case under deliberation, Moubdii addressed the court for the last time. Visibly shaken, he reaffirmed his confidence in Moroccan justice and requested an acquittal. He described the toll the proceedings had taken on him and his family, calling the situation deeply painful after a long political and professional career.
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His defense team rejected the accusations throughout the trial. The lawyers pointed to the oversight responsibilities of regional authorities in the Beni Mellal-Khénifra area and requested that Interior Ministry representatives be summoned to testify on the commune’s public contracts.
They argued that all legal procedures had been respected and validated by the ministry’s own audit mechanisms, which should have flagged any irregularities in real time.
The defense also invoked Moubdii’s track record managing Fkih Ben Salah, claiming the city’s infrastructure surpassed that of certain Casablanca streets recently affected by flooding. The remaining co-defendants followed the same line, denying all charges and requesting acquittals.
The case traces back to a complaint filed in January 2020 by the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Public Funds. The complaint alleged corruption in the awarding of public contracts and cited projects that were approved and funded but never executed.
In a separate proceeding, the Regional Court of Auditors in Beni Mellal fined Moubdii MAD 6 million ($600,000) in February 2021 following an audit of procurement contracts under his administration.
Moubdii was arrested in April 2023, just days after parliament elected him head of the Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee with 250 out of 255 votes.
That appointment drew sharp public backlash. Mohamed El Ghalloussi, head of the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Public Funds, described the election at the time as a reassuring message to those who plunder public money, calling it a national embarrassment.
The arrest of a former minister on corruption charges remains a rare occurrence in Morocco. Moubdii’s conviction is among the most high-profile anti-corruption rulings the country has seen in recent years.
