فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
The Primary Criminal Court for Financial Crimes at the Fez Court of Appeal concluded today, Tuesday, the case of the Bab Al-Khoukha Islamic Charity, which has been linked to a financial mismanagement scandal that stirred considerable controversy in recent years.
Local sources reported that the court sentenced a former parliamentarian to one year of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 dirhams. Additionally, a lawyer from the Fez Bar was sentenced to the same penalty along with a financial compensation of 200,000 dirhams. Meanwhile, a female employee who was also charged in the case was acquitted.
A report issued by the National Cooperation Foundation revealed serious violations in the management of the charity’s assets, including manipulation of public funding provided by the National Cooperation Foundation and the Fez Municipality, and inflating invoices for some contracts, including a restoration contract with a cost of 2 million dirhams.
The report also noted irregularities related to income from renting 22 commercial stores owned by the charity, where rental payments that should have been collected from tenants were misappropriated. The accused denied all these allegations throughout the trial.
The defendants faced serious criminal charges including embezzlement and misappropriation of public and private funds, complicity in these acts, abuse of power, forgery of official and administrative documents, use of forged documents, and breach of trust.
This ruling marks an important legal step in combating financial corruption within charitable organizations in Morocco, reaffirming the judiciary’s commitment to prosecute anyone proven guilty of mismanaging public and private funds.
