Preliminary Ruling in Taza Council Case
The Criminal Chamber of the First Instance Court in Fes has recently issued a preliminary ruling concerning the case against the President of the Taza Regional Council, alongside eleven other defendants. They are suspected of being involved in a criminal network engaged in fraud, forgery, and tax evasion. The court has granted temporary release to five of the defendants, requiring them to post bail set at 30,000 dirhams each, while a sixth defendant was granted release without bail. However, the court rejected the requests for the release of the remaining defendants and has scheduled the case for a hearing on June 26 to allow the defense time to review the proceedings and address the civil claims involved.
Background and Allegations
In a related development, informed sources have indicated that the public prosecutor's office is likely to appeal the decisions regarding the temporary releases. During the court session, the Moroccan state, represented by the Prime Minister, was recognized as a civil party in the case, with civil claims exceeding 50 million dirhams due to financial losses incurred by the public treasury. The dismantling of this network stems from judicial investigations initiated by the regional judicial police in Fes, based on complaints that individuals were establishing fictitious companies, known as "Sociétés de Passage," through fraudulent sales contracts and transferring them to third parties. The defendants face charges related to issuing false invoices, forging official certificates to win public contracts, and submitting false declarations to the tax authorities to evade payment of taxes and legal dues. The accusations against the defendants include fraud, forgery in commercial documents, creating certificates with false information, as well as tax fraud and complicity in these offenses.
As reported by nadorcity.com.
