HIBAPRESS – A. Mahyaoui
The Preliminary Criminal Chamber responsible for financial crimes at the Court of Appeal in Fez has decided to postpone the examination of the case of the collapse of two buildings in the "Al-Mustaqbal" subdivision in the Masira neighborhood until November 10. This postponement is to complete the procedures related to preparing the case file and to allow a number of parties to fulfill the legal requirements for defense.
In this case, 19 defendants are being prosecuted. Eight of them are in custody, while 11 others are being prosecuted in a state of freedom, in connection with the tragedy that the region witnessed last December, which resulted in the death of 22 people and the injury of 16 others.
The decision to postpone, which was issued during a session chaired by Counselor Mohamed Lahya, was made to summon the Judicial Representative of the Kingdom, as well as to grant a grace period for some defendants to appoint lawyers to represent them before the court.
During the session, the defense for the detained defendants submitted requests aimed at granting their clients provisional release, based on social considerations, while expressing their readiness to guarantee their appearance before the court whenever judicial procedures require it. These requests remain subject to the discretion of the competent judicial body.
The defendants, each according to what is attributed to them, face charges related to bribery, causing unintentional death and injury due to non-compliance with urban planning laws and regulations, as well as building without a permit, disposing of non-transferable property, complicity in some of these acts, and other violations related to urban planning law.
This case has garnered widespread attention due to the heavy human toll of the tragedy, and the questions it raises regarding adherence to construction and urban planning regulations and the responsibility of various stakeholders in overseeing construction sites and ensuring the safety of buildings.
The court is expected to resume examination of the case during the session on November 10, pending the outcome of discussions and judicial procedures. It is emphasized that the criminal responsibilities of those prosecuted remain within the jurisdiction of the judiciary, which will rule on the case in accordance with the law.
