فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
The Primary Criminal Chamber for Financial Crimes at the Marrakech Court of Appeal decided on Friday, December 6, 2025, to postpone the trial of former mayor Mohamed Larbi Belcaid and his first deputy Younes Benslimane, in a case of embezzlement of public funds and complicity therein, until December 26. This postponement aims to enable all parties concerned to review the supplementary expert report, which the court ordered after discussing the initial report, which was challenged by the King’s General Prosecutor for lacking objectivity.
This case, known in the media as the “COP22 Negotiated Contracts File,” is one of the most prominent judicial cases related to public funds management in Morocco, where Belcaid is accused of the felony of embezzling public funds, and his deputy Benslimane of complicity in it. The charges relate to the suspected conclusion of approximately 50 negotiated contracts during Marrakech’s hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP22) in November 2016, which cost more than 28 billion centimes, without sufficient legal justification, and most of which were not executed on schedule.
Case Background and Long Journey
The case originated following a complaint filed by rights activist Abdellah Tatouch, president of the National Council of the National Association for the Defense of Human Rights, before the General Prosecutor at the Marrakech Court of Appeal, demanding an investigation into suspected embezzlement of public funds related to these contracts. The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in its proceedings that at least 14 contracts did not begin implementation until after the conference ended, which invalidates their legitimacy and indicates waste of public funds.
Since the investigations began in 2016, the file has witnessed repeated postponements, often to complete technical expert reports, earning it the description of “the longest judicial saga” in the history of local authorities. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested the maximum penalties stipulated in Articles 129 and 241 of the Penal Code, which set a penalty of up to 10 years of effective imprisonment for the felony of embezzling public funds.
New Procedures and Expectations
In the last session, the court ordered a supplementary expert assessment to correct the first report, which was considered non-objective by the General Prosecutor, aiming to ensure accuracy in the financial and technical analysis of the contracts. The supplementary expert report, estimated to be completed before the scheduled date, is expected to determine the fate of the accused, especially with the addition of other previous charges such as embezzlement and money laundering in related contexts.
This development indicates the judicial authorities’ commitment to ensuring fair and transparent procedures in a case that highlights challenges related to the management of major public projects and reinforces anti-corruption efforts in local administrations. The upcoming session on December 26 is expected to witness decisive discussions about the new report, with likely presence of defense attorneys for the accused who claim there were no legal violations in the contracts.
