Moroccan journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui, who is also the founder and the editor-in-chief of the online news website Badil.info, revealed that Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi has filed a new lawsuit against him, accusing him of «maliciously publishing false claims and information» under Article 72 of the Press and Publication Law. In a Facebook post, El Mahdaoui said this is now the fifth case brought against him. «The complainant is once again the Minister of Justice, and I will appear in court on September 23 in four cases at once, all before the same judge, due to four simultaneous complaints», he wrote. The Justice Minister had already pursued legal action against El Mahdaoui, leading to a ruling by the Rabat Court of Appeal on June 30, 2025, which upheld a previous sentence of 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay 1.5 million dirhams in compensation to Ouahbi. He was convicted of «broadcasting and disseminating false claims and information, defamation, slander, and public insult».
