Moroccan official forgery and fraud convictions

Recent judicial rulings in Morocco have resulted in prison sentences for local officials involved in administrative forgery and fraud.

In Tangier, the Court of Appeal sentenced Ahmed Zakkaf, a deputy district president and member of the National Rally of Independents, to seven years in prison. The court found Zakkaf guilty of forming a criminal gang, fraud, and forging official and private documents to manipulate real estate registrations. The case involved the use of suspicious certificates to alter land data, including a plot in the Tangier Balia neighborhood that had no record in official archives. Zakkaf was ordered to pay compensation to victims and administrative officials.

In the Chichaoua province, the Marrakech Court of Appeal issued sentences regarding the president of the Taoulokelt commune. The president was convicted of knowingly creating a certificate containing false facts and received three months of imprisonment and a fine. Two other defendants were sentenced to one month of imprisonment for using the false certificate. The court also ordered the defendants to pay 20,000 dirhams in compensation following a complaint from an opposition council member.