HIBAPRESS – A. Mohayawi
The Criminal Appeals Chamber in charge of financial crimes at the Court of Appeal in Fez continues to consider a file concerning a former leader of the Bni Chiker command in the Nador province, who is being prosecuted on charges of "forgery of administrative documents" and "removing papers from an official record," against the backdrop of urban planning irregularities described as "serious" within the community.
The primary court had previously sentenced the leader to one year in prison, before the sentence was appealed, while he was acquitted of other charges, including "drug trafficking" and "issuing certificates to those not entitled." The judicial body also summoned the legal representative of the community after the civil lawsuit against the leader was previously rejected at the primary stage. The case dates back to extensive investigations into a network of informal construction that was exposed in the community since 2003, involving a number of local officials, including the vice-president of the community belonging to the Authenticity and Modernity Party, in addition to authority agents and notaries. Sentences were issued against some of the accused, ranging from six months to four years in prison, after it was proven that they had issued illegal documents and permits for residential subdivisions. The leader was summoned for judicial questioning based on confessions made by the vice-president during the investigation, in which he spoke of the circumstances of signing and issuing administrative documents related to those subdivisions. Attention is directed to the upcoming appeal sessions to find out the fate of this file, which brings the issue of informal construction and administrative responsibility in managing building permits and issuing certificates within local communities back to the forefront.
