Ahmad 
Yesterday, Saturday, the Rabat Court of Appeal issued a five-year prison sentence and a fine of five thousand dirhams (about 500 dollars) against former minister and well-known lawyer Mohamed Zayan.
The ruling also included two of his aides on charges of embezzlement and squandering public funds. One of Zayan’s aides, who had responsibilities in managing the Free Liberal Party, was convicted of the same punishment, while the second, who was on release, was sentenced to two years in prison, including one year with imprisonment. Suspension of execution and a similar fine.
These rulings came following a complaint from the current leadership of the Free Liberal Party, which accused Zayan of squandering funds allocated for public support for the party. The matter was referred to the investigating judge of the Court of Appeal, who decided to pursue the case.
Investigations conducted revealed that Zayan, as a former party treasurer and in cooperation with other officials, was involved in financial corruption crimes that included embezzlement of public funds, squandering funds allocated for electoral support, and collecting undeserved funds.
The Ministry of Interior demanded that political parties return undeservedly obtained electoral support funds following the 2015 elections, explaining that Zayan did not respond to multiple notices he received between 2016 and 2018, refused to return undeserved funds, and could not prove how more than one million dirhams were spent.
This ruling follows Zayan’s previous conviction in 2022 with three years in prison, along with fines for multiple crimes including insulting the judiciary and incitement to break the law.
Mohamed Zayan is a former Moroccan minister and a prominent lawyer in Morocco. He served as Minister of Human Rights in the 1990s. He is also a former head of the Bar Association in Morocco. He is known for his bold and sometimes critical stances on government policies, and his name is linked to many political and human rights issues in the country.
Zayan is also known for his modernizing views and support of political and human rights reforms, and he headed the Free Liberal Party, a Moroccan political party, which made him a central figure in some of the country’s human rights and political debates.
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