The Public Prosecution at the Court of First Instance in Fes has officially referred Zakaria Lazrak, the former general director of the subsidiary company Urban Development East, along with several other company officials and contractors, to the Money Laundering Chamber. This referral is a precursor to the commencement of their trial regarding serious allegations of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds.
According to informed sources, this referral includes multiple names, among them Abderrazak A., Abdelkhaleq A., Anas L., Mohamed L., Idris Sh., and Nour Eddine Sh. The trial sessions are expected to commence under the presidency of Judge Radi on April 22nd of the upcoming year.
The roots of this case trace back to a complaint lodged by the Urban Development Company for the Eastern Region, which revealed a significant financial irregularity estimated at 610 million dirhams following an internal audit that scrutinized several major projects overseen by the company since 2015.
Previously, the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Fes had issued initial rulings against some defendants, including prison sentences and financial fines. Zakaria Lazrak, the former general director of Urban Development East, was sentenced to eight years in prison along with a fine of 100,000 dirhams after being convicted of charges related to embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, and abuse of power.
Similarly, the same court sentenced Abdelkhaleq A., the financial director of the company, to three years in prison and a fine of 50,000 dirhams for misappropriating public funds. Contractor Nour Eddine Sh. received a five-year prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 dirhams, additionally being required to repay a portion of the outstanding amount to the Urban Development Company for the Eastern Region.
Several other officials and contractors were also sentenced to varying prison terms ranging from one to three years, along with different financial penalties, while some individuals were acquitted of all charges brought against them.
Furthermore, the court decided to hold the civil defendants jointly responsible for the judicial costs, mandating them to return a total of 610,827,731 dirhams to the Urban Development Company for the Eastern Region, distributed among the defendants according to their level of involvement in the case.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts of Moroccan judicial authorities to combat major economic crimes, particularly those related to embezzlement and abuse of power, as part of a broader strategy aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the sector of large-scale projects.
As reported by m.nadorcity.com.
