The absence of lawyers, stemming from a strike protesting a draft law concerning their profession, has led to the postponement of the trial involving defendants accused of forgery and tax fraud. Prominently featured among the accused is Abdelilah B., who serves as the president of the regional council of Taza representing the National Rally of Independents Party, along with 11 other individuals, including several contractors.
The session, held today (Friday) in the misdemeanor division of the primary court in Fez, witnessed the defendants asserting their right to legal representation. Given this situation, the judicial panel adjudicating the case was compelled to adjourn the proceedings until Friday, July 17, to allow for the presence of defense counsel.
Additionally, the same judicial body decided to summon the remaining declarants in this case and to ensure the defendants' presence in the courtroom as per their request. In a prior session, the court issued a preliminary ruling regarding requests for provisional release submitted by the defense team representing the accused, including a relative of the main defendant.
The court granted provisional release to defendants Jamal B., Abdelatif G., Abdelatif A., and Mohamed A.B., as well as Hicham R., under the condition of a financial bail set at 30,000 dirhams each. Furthermore, it granted provisional release to defendant Jawad B. without any bail, while rejecting other requests for provisional release and postponing the case to review the civil claims.
Previously, the same court had issued a preliminary ruling granting provisional release to defendant Latifa H. on the condition of a financial bail of 30,000 dirhams, unless she was detained for another reason.
It is known that the public prosecution at the primary court in Fez has charged 12 defendants, led by the president of the Taza regional council, following complaints from 12 victims and testimonies from eight declarants in the case.
According to the information provided in the case file, the public prosecution decided to prosecute the main defendant on charges related to "fraud, forgery of a public document, forgery of a commercial document, knowingly creating certificates containing false facts, forgery of a commercial document, and tax fraud through the submission of fictitious invoices." The defendant B.R. faces charges of "fraud, use of forged commercial documents, and tax fraud through the submission of fictitious invoices."
Defendant B.J. is charged with "fraud and forgery of a public document," while the fourth defendant, A.H., is charged with "fraud, forgery of a public document, participation in the forgery of a commercial document, knowingly creating certificates containing false facts, and tax fraud through the submission of fictitious invoices." Defendant H.A. is facing charges of "fraud, forgery of commercial documents, knowingly creating certificates containing false facts, and tax fraud through the submission of fictitious invoices."
Regarding defendant H.L., the public prosecution has charged him with "forgery of a public document, knowingly creating certificates containing false facts, participation in fraud, participation in the forgery of commercial documents, and participation in tax fraud through the submission of fictitious invoices."
For defendants A.M. and A.A., they are both charged with "fraud, forgery of commercial documents, knowingly creating certificates containing false facts, and tax fraud through the submission of fictitious invoices."
Finally, defendants M.B., A.A., and B.J. are facing charges of "fraud, forgery of a public document, and knowingly creating certificates containing false facts," while A.H. is charged with offenses related to "fraud and knowingly creating documents containing false facts, and forgery of a public document."
As reported by hespress.com.
