HIBAPRESS – Sefrou
In the first judicial proceedings coinciding with Mostafa Lakhm's move to the forefront of the parliamentary scene, the Criminal Misdemeanors Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Sefrou decided, on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, to postpone the examination of the case in which the head of the Imouzzer Kandar commune is being prosecuted until November 3 next.
Lakhm is being prosecuted in this case alongside four other defendants, in connection with a case that, according to the complaint and judicial investigations, is related to suspicions of mismanagement and embezzlement of public funds, in connection with the management of casual workers in the Imouzzer Kandar commune.
The decision to postpone came during today's session to re-summon a number of witnesses and the main defendant, after his absence from the session was noted, before continuing the discussion of the case before the court.
The case dates back to a complaint filed by the opposition within the municipal council, related to the method of managing the lists of casual workers. The complaint includes information regarding the benefit of 84 casual workers from wages and allowances, with the assertion that some names listed were not performing actual tasks for the commune. This information has been the subject of previous judicial investigations before the case was referred to the court.
In previous sessions, the case had witnessed the testimony of a number of declarants. Media reports indicated that some of them denied working as casual workers in the commune, while others spoke of handing over their national identity cards to other individuals who were performing actual tasks. These details remain linked to what was stated in the statements of the parties involved in the case before the judiciary.
The postponement of today's session comes in a new political context for Lakhm, after he managed to top the legislative election results in the Sefrou constituency, in the election of September 23, 2026, securing a seat in the House of Representatives, according to the published results for the constituency.
Thus, Lakhm finds himself facing two parallel paths: the first is political after winning a parliamentary seat, and the second is judicial, which remains open before the court, pending the continuation of the examination of the case in the session of November 3 next.
It should be noted that the judicial prosecution does not mean the proof of the acts attributed to the defendants, as the final decision rests with the judiciary after the completion of the case discussion and the issuance of a final verdict.
