The Marrakech Court of First Instance, specializing in financial crimes, ruled at the weekend in the case concerning the management and administration of the wholesale fruit and vegetable market in the city of Marrakech. Several individuals were being prosecuted on charges of embezzlement of public funds placed under their custody and forgery of official documents.
The defendant identified as "Y.S." was tried in absentia, while the remaining defendants appeared in court. The court declared the public prosecution action dropped against the deceased defendant "I.J." and acquitted defendant "M.Z." of the charges against him.
Conversely, the court found the remaining defendants in this case guilty, with sentences distributed as follows:
Seven defendants — were each sentenced to two years imprisonment, with one year active and the remainder suspended, along with a fine of 50,000 dirhams.
The remaining five defendants — were each sentenced to one year suspended imprisonment, along with a fine of 20,000 dirhams.
The court also ordered all convicted parties to pay court costs, with compulsory enforcement against those legally required, and informed them of the appeal deadline.
This ruling comes within the framework of the case known as the "Marrakech Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market Case (2019/2623/952)," which involved prosecutions related to mismanagement of a public facility and administrative irregularities.