HIBAPRESS – A. Mahyaoui
The Court of Appeal's criminal chamber at the Court of Appeal in Fes ruled today, Thursday, to overturn the initial ruling issued against Abdelali Hami El Dine, a leader in the Justice and Development Party, in the case of the murder of student Mohamed Benaisa Ait El Jed in 1993. The court declared the public prosecution's action null and void due to prior adjudication and lack of jurisdiction over the civil claims.
This decision marks the end of a new phase of litigation in this case, which has garnered considerable attention due to its duration of over three decades and the accompanying legal and judicial discussions regarding the facts attributed to the accused and the various defenses presented by the defense teams.
Hami El Dine was being prosecuted in the appeal phase in a state of freedom, in connection with the case concerning the death of student Ait El Jed in the city of Fes in 1993. Previously, the initial criminal chamber of the Court of Appeal had sentenced him to three years of effective imprisonment, after he was found guilty of participating in assault and battery leading to death without intent to cause it.
The initial ruling also included the payment of civil compensation amounting to 20,000 dirhams to each of the civil claimants.
Throughout the trial stages, the plea of prior adjudication was one of the most prominent legal arguments raised by Hami El Dine's defense team, who considered that the case had already been judicially addressed. The Court of Appeal ultimately accepted this plea, deciding to overturn the initial ruling and declare the public prosecution's action null and void.
The court had decided, during last Thursday's session, to extend deliberations until October 22nd of this month, following a lengthy session that lasted approximately 11 hours, during which it heard the arguments of both parties' defenses, as well as the final statement of the accused.
