HIBAPRESS – A. Mahyaoui
The Criminal Chamber of First Instance in charge of financial crimes at the Court of Appeal in Fez closed the curtain today, Tuesday, on one of the files that sparked widespread controversy within local circles in the Moulay Yacoub region, after it acquitted the current president of the Regional Council, Jawad Douahhi, along with the rest of those being pursued, of all charges related to the squandering and embezzlement of public funds.
The judicial body, headed by Counselor Mohamed Lahya, ruled, after lengthy sessions of discussion and listening to the defenses of the defense team and the pleadings of the parties, not to hold the accused accountable for what was attributed to them, and to declare their acquittal from heavy charges that included embezzlement and squandering of public funds, forgery of official documents and administrative and customary documents and their use, as well as the exploitation of influence.
The file had exploded following instructions issued by the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in Fez to the regional unit of the Royal Gendarmerie, in order to deepen the investigation into suspicions of financial and administrative imbalances within the Moulay Yacoub Regional Council, after preliminary reports spoke of the absence of justifying documents and documents related to the disbursement of financial expenses. The investigating judge in charge of financial crimes referred the accused to the financial criminal chamber, within the framework of a follow-up that attracted the attention of local public opinion, before the trial stages ended with a verdict of acquittal in favor of all those being pursued in the case. This ruling is expected to provoke wide reactions within the local political scene, especially in light of the controversy that accompanied the file since the beginning of the preliminary investigations, and what it left of discussion about managing local public affairs and mechanisms for monitoring the disbursement of public funds. Jawad Douahhi is regarded within the local circles of the Moulay Yacoub region as one of the political figures who maintains a field presence and positive relations with the various actors, which made him enjoy a close image of the population throughout his years of managing local affairs.
