Significant Repayment Ordered by French Court
A French man has been ordered to repay a staggering amount of €29,567.97 in disability benefits to the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales) following an investigation that revealed he spent extensive periods of time in Morocco with his wife and children. The inquiry found that in 2022 alone, he was absent from France for a total of 312 days. This ruling was finalized on April 8, 2026, by the judicial court in Nanterre, which concluded that the man had received these benefits, known as the Allocation aux Adultes Handicapés (AAH), from June 2020 to May 2023.
The investigation was prompted by discrepancies observed in the man's online declarations, which indicated that he was reporting from abroad. Further inquiries uncovered that he had married a Moroccan national in 2019 and that his wife and two children resided in Morocco. This raised concerns among the French authorities, who found that he was effectively living and working in Morocco.
Bank and airline records were scrutinized to reconstruct the man's absences from France, revealing durations of 179 days in 2020, 212 days in 2021, 312 days in 2022, and 136 days from January to May 2023. During the court hearing, the defendant admitted to regularly traveling to Morocco to visit his family, but he was unable to specify the exact length of his stays. He contested the findings, claiming he did not spend more than 92 days outside France each year, yet he failed to provide any documentation to challenge the investigation's conclusions.
Residency Requirements for Disability Benefits
To qualify for the AAH, beneficiaries must maintain permanent residency in France. While absences abroad are permissible for a cumulative total of three months per year, exceeding this limit results in the benefits being payable only for the complete months spent in France, with certain exceptions applicable to education or training purposes. The court determined that the evidence presented by the CAF clearly indicated that the residency condition was not satisfied, thereby approving the recovery of the €29,567.97 in benefits that had been disbursed between June 1, 2020, and May 31, 2023.
This case presents a stark contrast to a recent ruling where the justice system significantly reduced the amount claimed by France Travail for similar absences in Morocco. In the current scenario, the extensive bank and airline records highlighted particularly long periods of absence, leading to a decisive outcome. Initially, the total claim reached €39,171.97, which also included an overpayment of housing assistance. However, the court only validated the recovery of the €29,567.97 corresponding to the AAH, while the housing assistance issue was addressed separately in administrative court.
The man expressed his inability to repay such a large sum but mentioned that he had secured a permanent job in September 2025 with a gross monthly salary of €1,832.17. He requested either a reduction of the debt or an extension of the repayment period. However, the court rejected these requests, indicating that it did not have the authority to grant a payment schedule or forgive the debt within this procedure. Consequently, the individual will need to negotiate directly with the CAF regarding repayment terms. In addition to the €29,567.97, he will also incur €76.18 in notification fees.
As reported by bladi.net.
