The primary chamber for financial crimes at the Rabat Court of Appeal ruled on Monday to acquit Mohamed Simo, President of the Ksar El Kebir Municipality and parliamentary deputy for the National Rally of Independents, along with 11 other defendants, including municipal employees and contractors. Simo had been charged by the public prosecutor with embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, and receiving illicit benefits from an institution under his management, among other accusations based on the alleged involvement of each suspect. Previously, the investigating judge had ordered a travel ban against Simo and the seizure of all his assets, excluding his monthly parliamentary salary. The judge also mandated a comprehensive inventory of his financial holdings, movable property, real estate, and income suspected of being linked to the alleged offenses, with a detailed report to be compiled. The case dates back to 2021, when several parties filed complaints accusing Simo of manipulating the tender process for the construction of a sports facility, an act that may have resulted in the misappropriation of public funds. He was also accused of purchasing a plot of land from a member of the municipal council's majority.
