The public prosecutor at the primary court in Marrakech has granted the real estate company Caprice Immobilier a deadline until next Thursday to assess its commitment to resuming construction on the upscale residential project, known as "Caprice," located in Aïn Mezouar along the Essaouira road. This development has brought renewed attention to a contentious issue in the Red City.
According to information revealed by affected parties, many of whom are Moroccan expatriates, the public prosecutor ordered the company owner on Thursday to expedite the project groundwork and make substantial progress within a two-month timeframe. Additionally, the judicial police have been tasked with conducting regular inspections of the construction site to monitor compliance with these directives.
Affected individuals have reported that construction has been entirely halted, despite previous claims from company officials stating that the project was nearly 95% complete. One complaint submitted to the public prosecutor, of which the newspaper has a copy, detailed how an investor purchased a 41-square-meter apartment in the project back in 2021, paying approximately 315,000 dirhams, yet has not received the property to date. Furthermore, construction has been stalled since 2022. The complaints lodged against the real estate developer include serious accusations of fraud and failure to honor reservation contracts.
A representative from Caprice Immobilier stated in an interview that the company is working to complete the construction of the project, which has faced setbacks due to disputes with the Marrakech Urban Agency and municipal authorities. These disputes involve a requirement to retract eight meters from the public road to obtain permits for two additional floors, following updates in the urban planning that expanded the public road from 40 meters to 50 meters. This change necessitates demolishing a structure initially designed for three floors, with the potential to expand to five, resulting in significant financial losses for the real estate company.
Moreover, the same representative noted that after the administrative dispute escalated and was brought to court, a second hearing is scheduled for March 25. The developer has offered clients several options to mitigate their losses, ranging from the opportunity to purchase units in other projects by the company in Marrakech—where it has three residential developments—at the original purchase price of the stalled project, to the option of receiving refunds with an additional 10-15% interest. The representative confirmed that many clients have chosen this option and received their funds after waiving their reservations.
Furthermore, affected clients have reported to the newspaper that they paid substantial amounts based on reservation contracts presented to them as legal by the company’s legal director, only to be blindsided by the complete halt in construction. They emphasized that the fourth and fifth floors of the building lack planning designs and construction permits, despite having been sold since 2019, rendering the project legally unsupported. The clients accuse the company officials of withholding critical information during the signing of reservation contracts.
As reported by hespress.com.
