On Tuesday, the criminal chamber responsible for financial crimes at the Marrakech Court of Appeal declared the acquittal of Mohamed El Arabi Belkaid, the former mayor of Marrakech and a prominent member of the Justice and Development Party, alongside MP Younes Ben Slimane, a member of the National Rally of Independents party. This ruling pertains to a case linked to contracts awarded in preparation for the COP22 conference.
The court's decision effectively overturned the initial ruling made in January 2026, which had sentenced both officials to two years of imprisonment each, accompanied by a fine of 20,000 dirhams and the obligation to pay damages amounting to 4 million dirhams.
The origins of this case stem from allegations of irregularities regarding the awarding of public contracts by the Marrakech municipality, coinciding with the preparations for the COP22 conference held in the city in 2016. A judicial investigation was initiated following complaints lodged by human rights associations, which warned of potential mismanagement of public funds.
During the time of the COP22 organization, Mohamed El Arabi Belkaid served as the mayor of Marrakech, while Younes Ben Slimane was the deputy mayor, having been affiliated with the Justice and Development Party at that time before later joining the National Rally of Independents led by Aziz Akhannouch.
As reported by ar.yabiladi.com.
