Significant Verdicts in Public Funds Mismanagement Case
On June 3, 2026, at 21:30, the Appeals Criminal Chamber responsible for financial crimes at the Court of Appeal in Fes concluded one of the most notable cases involving the embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds linked to the company 'Al Omrane East'. The court's proceedings saw twelve defendants, including the former regional director of the company, various executives, engineers, and business managers, face serious allegations stemming from significant financial and managerial irregularities that resulted in losses estimated to exceed 6.1 billion dirhams.
The prosecution of these defendants followed a complaint lodged by the Director General of the Al Omrane Group with the public prosecutor's office. This action was prompted by an internal audit and inspection conducted within 'Al Omrane in the East' in March 2024, which uncovered severe financial discrepancies during the tenure of the previous director, alongside significant violations in managing numerous public projects and contracts.
Presided over by Judge Mohamed Ben Maâchou, the judicial body upheld the initial ruling against the former director general of 'Al Omrane in the East', Zakaria Lazrak, sentencing him to eight years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 dirhams. He was convicted on charges of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power, fraudulent exclusion of competitors, and benefiting from advantages within the institution he managed.
The court also confirmed the initial sentence for another defendant, identified as (A.A.), who received a three-year prison term along with a fine of 50,000 dirhams for the misappropriation of public funds. Furthermore, the sentence for (A.I.) was maintained, which stipulated one year of prison and a fine of 30,000 dirhams for participating in the misappropriation of public funds and exploiting influence to fraudulently exclude competitors.
In a similar vein, the court upheld the preliminary rulings against other defendants, which mandated one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 dirhams each, following a reclassification of the actions attributed to them. Except for a partial adjustment concerning two defendants who had initially been acquitted—resulting in one receiving a one-year prison sentence and the other six months—the appellate chamber largely confirmed the rulings from the earlier financial crimes chamber issued in November of the previous year. This verdict concludes a case that garnered significant public interest due to the substantial amounts of money involved and the nature of the responsibilities implicated.
The defendants in this case face serious criminal charges, including embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds, participation in such activities, abuse of influence, and fraudulent exclusion of competitors, along with benefiting from interests within the institution managed by one of the defendants.
As reported by ar.le360.ma.
