Rabat – Tangier Mayor Mounir Laymouri said he plans to return to Morocco on Monday, after a professional trip to Spain, as authorities investigate alleged irregularities reported at a polling station during Morocco’s September 23 legislative elections.
Laymouri, who also headed the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) campaign in Tangier, rejected suggestions that he left the country to avoid the investigation.
“I have nothing to do with this case and I did not flee Morocco,” Laymouri told Le360 by phone on Sunday. He said his return to Tangier was scheduled for Monday.
The case began on election day after authorities found irregular electoral documents at a polling station at Al Qods School in Tangier’s Casabarata district. A video of the incident later spread across social media and sparked controversy over the conduct of the vote.
Authorities have since detained five suspects in connection with the case. The suspects include the heads and deputy heads of two polling stations, along with another individual.
Four of the suspects were brought before prosecutors, while the fifth remained in custody as investigators pursued further inquiries. The public prosecutor also asked an investigating judge to open a formal judicial investigation into alleged offenses related to electoral procedures and suspected document falsification.
Laymouri’s name reportedly emerged during the questioning of one of the suspects, who is also affiliated with the PAM, according to Le360.
Judicial police officers subsequently went to Laymouri’s home to question him and arrange a confrontation with the suspect. Investigators found that the mayor had left Morocco for Spain on Thursday evening.
Authorities then issued a national search notice for Laymouri, according to the report.
The mayor has disputed any suggestion that his departure had a connection to the case. He said the trip had a professional purpose and maintained that he would return to Morocco as planned.
The PAM had addressed the controversy shortly after the September 23 vote. In a statement, the party described allegations surrounding the Tangier polling stations as part of what it called a “malicious and fabricated campaign” and a “political plot” aimed at damaging its image.
At the same time, the party backed a judicial investigation into the reported incidents and called for the facts to be established through the legal process.
The investigation remains underway.
