The Marrakech Primary Court condemned Abdelilah Tattouch, the president of the National Association for the Defense of Human Rights and the Protection of Public Money, in the early hours of Saturday morning. The court found him guilty of charges related to fraud, money laundering, and extortion through the threat of disseminating scandalous information. Tattouch was sentenced to one and a half years in prison along with a fine of 20,000 dirhams.
In a related context, the court issued an order for two notaries to visit the local prison to receive a mandate from the individual concerning the termination of the rental contract for the association's headquarters. This order also includes procedures related to the sale of two vehicles, with the public prosecutor tasked with executing the court's decision.
Back in February, the investigating judge at the Marrakech Primary Court decided to incarcerate Tattouch in the local prison in Oudaya, consolidating two complaints into a single case and charging him with similar allegations of fraud, money laundering, and extortion through threats of defamation.
The case details stem from a complaint previously filed by Tarek Hanich, a member of parliament from the Authenticity and Modernity Party and the deputy mayor of Marrakech responsible for urban planning. In his complaint to the Public Prosecution, Hanich accused Tattouch of defamation and slander after he distributed a complaint containing allegations concerning a real estate issue in Marrakech to several media outlets.
According to information included in the complaint, the association claimed suspicions regarding the conversion of a public property into a private clinic and the abuse of power. However, the complainant denied these allegations, asserting that the property was originally designated for the construction of a private clinic within a legally authorized subdivision, and that all necessary permits and procedures were completed prior to his assuming roles within the Marrakech City Council or his election as a deputy parliamentarian.
As reported by maghrebtimes.ma.
