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Rabat – The Criminal Chamber of the Casablanca Court of Appeal on Thursday handed down its verdict in Morocco’s high-profile “Sahara Escobar” case, sentencing former Wydad Athletic Club president and former senior member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Said Naciri, to 10 years in prison.
The court also sentenced Abdenbi Bioui, the former president of the Oriental Region, to 12 years in prison, making the pair the most prominent defendants convicted in the case.
The rulings were delivered on Thursday evening, June 25, following months of hearings in one of Morocco’s most closely watched criminal trials.
Final hearing held without defense lawyers
The verdict came after a final hearing during which the defendants delivered their closing statements before the panel of judges. The session was held in the absence of defense lawyers, who had suspended their participation after the Casablanca Bar Association called for a strike in protest against a proposed law regulating the legal profession.
During his final statement, Naciri categorically denied all charges against him, insisting he had no connection to international drug trafficking networks or to the Malian trafficker known in court documents as “The Malian.”
He also presented financial records, including bank statements and documents related to the purchase of his California district villa in Casablanca, arguing that they demonstrated the lawful origin of his wealth. Naciri asked the court to acquit him.
Bioui, meanwhile, simply requested an acquittal without presenting additional evidence, while several other defendants chose not to make further statements, relying instead on their previous testimony during the investigation and trial.
Background of the case
The “Sahara Escobar” case has been one of Morocco’s most prominent criminal investigations since late 2023, when investigating judges ordered the pretrial detention of Naciri and Bioui on December 21 over suspected links to an international drug trafficking network.
The investigation was launched following testimony by Malian drug trafficker El Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim, whose statements implicated several prominent figures from Morocco’s political, sports, and business circles. The case has since generated widespread public interest because of the status of those involved.
Charges against the defendants
Prosecutors accused Said Naciri of multiple offenses, including:
- Forgery and use of forged official documents.
- Participation in a criminal agreement involving the possession, transportation, export, attempted export, and trafficking of narcotics.
- Fraud and attempted fraud.
- Influence peddling.
- Coercing individuals into making false statements.
- Concealing proceeds derived from criminal activity.
- Forging and using forged checks.
- Participating in the undeclared importation of foreign currency.
Abdenbi Bioui faced charges including participation in international drug trafficking, forgery of official documents, obtaining documents through coercion, participating in arbitrary acts affecting individual freedoms, facilitating the illegal cross-border movement of individuals as part of a criminal organization, and participating in an international drug trafficking conspiracy.
