HIBAPRESS
Abdelkarim Motie, founder of the Islamic Youth Movement and an opponent residing outside Morocco, has accused Abdelilah Benkirane, former head of government and Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party, of not repaying debts that he claims were borrowed from him on various occasions during meetings they had in Mecca and Rome.
Motie began his account, which he published in a post on his Facebook page, by talking about a meeting he had with Benkirane during his stay in Mecca. He explained that a person he had not known before approached him during the Hajj season, introduced himself as a Moroccan preacher, and then asked for financial assistance after telling him he had borrowed money for his travel ticket. Motie said he gave him 3000 Saudi riyals as a loan at the time.
Motie added that years later he moved from Saudi Arabia to Rome, where he lived away from Morocco. His wife, whom he refers to as "Umm Al-Baneen" in the post, informed him that someone claiming to be Benkirane had visited the family and asked her to get permission to visit Motie if he could contact him.
Motie explained that after a previous meeting in Mecca, he had become aware of Benkirane's activities and his affiliation, which he described as suspicious. However, he decided to allow him to visit him in Rome to find out what was behind the visit.
According to Motie's account, Benkirane arrived in Rome carrying a quarter of a roasted lamb and stayed in a hotel whose expenses Motie covered, despite what he described as his own financial difficulties at the time.
Motie continued that during his stay, Benkirane asked him for money to cover the cost of a train ticket to Paris to visit a relative. He indicated that he gave him the amount as a loan, estimating it to be equivalent to one thousand French francs.
He added that before returning to Morocco, Benkirane said he could not return without bringing a gift for his wife from a wealthy family and asked him for money to buy it. Motie complied and gave him the money again as a loan, though, in his words, he did so reluctantly.
In another detail, Motie said that his wife later informed him that Benkirane had asked the family for 4000 riyals to buy him a gift, and that she had sent the amount to him with her son. He added that Benkirane later returned with a quarter of a lamb and told Motie's son that his mother was roasting it for his father and asked him to take it to him.
Motie also mentioned that he later received a call from Idris Chahine, who informed him that Benkirane was requesting the cost of the travel ticket he used to visit him, a incident he included in the details of his account of the financial transactions between them.
In conclusion to the post, Motie moved on to directing political and personal criticisms at Benkirane, describing him as a "saw that eats upwards and downwards," recalling his leadership of the government and the Justice and Development Party, alongside his positions on normalization and the monthly compensation he receives, according to his expression. He then linked this to what he considered a contradiction between his political career and his behavior in the incidents he recounted.
