HIBAPRESS – A. Mahyawi
The General Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Fez referred 19 defendants to trial, including 16 people in custody, in the first session scheduled for Tuesday, November 25th, on the background of the explosion of a case related to a criminal network specializing in stealing and dismantling vehicles that were deposited in the municipal impound in the city of Oujda.
Informed sources revealed to HIBAPRESS that the defendants face serious charges related to embezzlement of public funds, theft, breach of trust, forgery and its use, which were also directed at four public officials working in the same municipal impound. The events of this case date back to Tuesday, November 11th, when elements of the Regional Judicial Police Brigade in Fez were able to arrest 19 people on suspicion of belonging to a criminal network active in stealing cars, motorcycles, and electrical devices, in addition to seized electronic devices that were the subject of different cases and were deposited in the municipal impound in Oujda. According to the preliminary data of the investigations, the members of the network used to forge vehicle license plates or dismantle them and sell them as spare parts within the scrap markets, benefiting from their position within this public facility. The search operations resulted in the seizure of 10 cars and 17 motorcycles, in addition to 38 metal frames for dismantled cars, as well as significant quantities of vehicle spare parts. The judicial authorities continue to deepen the investigation into this case, which shook local public opinion, due to the involvement of public officials in facilitating theft operations and exploiting their positions to tamper with properties seized under the authority of the law.
