The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Fes, presided over by Judge Haida, has pronounced its verdicts in the case involving the "Municipal Garage of Oujda" network. This case has seen the prosecution of 19 individuals on charges related to the embezzlement and misappropriation of public and private funds, forgery, as well as the theft and dismantling of vehicles and motorcycles.
After dismissing all procedural defenses raised by the defendants, the court sentenced M.L., identified as the leader of the network, to five years of imprisonment along with a fine of 50,000 dirhams. Co-defendants Z.L. and M.A. received sentences of four years each, with Z.L. fined 40,000 dirhams and M.A. fined 50,000 dirhams. Furthermore, the court ordered the confiscation of a firearm seized from M.A. for the benefit of national defense.
Additionally, the court sentenced A.S. to three years in prison and a fine of 30,000 dirhams for his participation in the criminal activities. M.K., a public employee, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and fined 30,000 dirhams following a reclassification of the charges against him.
In related sentences, A.R. and S.S. each received two years of imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 dirhams. Other defendants including A.H., R.K., H.S., Y.M., A.M., and A.K. were sentenced to one and a half years in prison, with fines ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 dirhams.
The court also imposed a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 dirhams on E.H., A.N., and S.L. M.H. and B.B. received six months in prison along with a fine of 500 dirhams each, while M.A.R. was sentenced to four months in prison with a similar fine.
Moreover, the court mandated legal consequences regarding the confiscated items, ordering the seizure of parts from illegal vehicles and cars for the benefit of state property, while returning legal phones, vehicles, and financial amounts to their rightful owners.
On the civil front, the court held the convicted individuals liable for the financial losses arising from their criminal activities, ordering M.L. and Z.L. to pay a joint compensation to the Municipality of Oujda amounting to 511,150 dirhams, which represents the difference between the amounts collected and deposited.
All nineteen defendants were also ordered to pay a total joint compensation of 2,132,500 dirhams to the civil claimants, equating to the estimated value of the vehicles that were embezzled and squandered, with the minimum coercive measures specified for enforcement.
Following the announcement of the verdicts, the presiding judge informed the convicted parties that they are entitled to appeal within a ten-day period.
The extensive technical and field investigations conducted by the regional police in Fes led to the dismantling of this organized network, which was headed by the director of the municipal garage in Oujda. The investigations revealed significant discrepancies between the records of the Oujda Security Authority and the official records of the municipality, highlighting the failure to register a substantial number of vehicles entering the garage. This omission was aimed at covering up their theft and subsequent disposal, resulting in direct embezzlement amounts exceeding 100,000 dirhams in collection fees, in addition to the estimated value of the missing vehicles, which ranged between 2.17 million and 2.5 million dirhams.
The mastermind of the network confessed during the investigation phases, detailing the criminal scheme and revealing that he oversaw the distribution of roles among the members of the organization. He also worked to obscure the traces of the committed crimes, benefiting from a network of connections that enabled him to track the progress of court cases related to the seized vehicles, facilitating their embezzlement and resale or dismantling.
As reported by nadorcity.com.
