Fes Court Upholds Rulings in Municipal Garage Case
In a significant ruling delivered by the Appeals Chamber of the Fes Court of Appeal, the court upheld the initial sentences handed down to three employees of the Oujda municipality, who were implicated in a scandal surrounding the exploitation of the municipal garage in the city. The court's decision came after the judicial panel, presided over by Judge Mohamed Ben Maachou, acknowledged the appeals in form, while affirming the original verdicts related to financial crimes.
The case revolves around a criminal network allegedly led by the director of the municipal garage, who exploited this public facility to unlawfully seize vehicles and motorcycles that had been impounded. This was reportedly achieved through the forgery of registration plates and the dismantling of these vehicles, which were then sold as spare parts in junk markets.
The primary defendant received a one-year prison sentence along with a fine of 10,000 dirhams and was ordered to pay civil damages amounting to 200,000 dirhams to the Oujda municipality. Meanwhile, the second defendant faced a harsher sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams, with a civil compensation ruling of 500,000 dirhams in favor of the civil claimant. The third defendant was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined 15,000 dirhams, alongside a civil compensation of 300,000 dirhams and the confiscation of the seized items for the public treasury.
The dismantling of this network was a result of investigations carried out by the regional judicial police in Fes, in collaboration with the Directorate General for Territorial Surveillance. These efforts led to the arrest of over 20 individuals, including four public employees. Additionally, searches conducted as part of the operation resulted in the seizure of ten vehicles, 17 motorcycles, 38 dismantled car bodies, as well as a substantial quantity of spare parts and electronic equipment believed to be linked to the network's activities within the municipal garage in Oujda.
As reported by nadorcity.com.
