Abderrahim Bioui, brother of the former president of the Oriental region, reaffirmed before the Criminal Chamber of the Casablanca Court of Appeal that he had no connection to Ahmed Benbrahim, also known as the «Escobar of the Sahara». He denied knowing him and refuted any involvement in drug trafficking, declaring, «Traffickers should be sentenced to the death penalty», Assabah reports in its Monday, March 24 edition. According to the newspaper, Bioui also disputed statements made by the Malian suspect to the judicial police, insisting that he had never traveled with his brother and did not know the individuals implicated in the case. He further claimed that his business—his primary source of income—had suffered a 35% loss since his detention. Regarding Saïd Naciri, the former president of Wydad Casablanca, who is also detained in this case, Bioui stated that he had met him only once and was unaware of his identity, explaining that he had no interest in sports. When questioned about five trucks allegedly provided to him by the Malian suspect, Bioui clarified that an analysis of their GPS data by the National Brigade of Judicial Police (BNPJ) showed they had not moved since 2017. He also presented their registration documents to prove their origin, refuting claims that they were of Chinese manufacture. The court also addressed the seizure of a truck carrying 40 tons of cannabis resin. Bioui denied any knowledge of it, asserting that his vehicles were used exclusively for quarry operations. He further explained that metal recovered from dismantled machinery was sold by weight to prevent any fraudulent use. As for the origin of the funds in his possession, he stated that they came from his agricultural and mining activities, citing revenues of 100 million dirhams from agriculture and 20 million from livestock, in addition to profits from his quarries. He maintained that he had all the necessary documents to prove the legality of his assets, prompting the Prosecutor's Office to request their verification, Assabah concludes.
