DR ‹ › The Criminal Chamber of the Primary Court in Targuist on Wednesday sentenced Istiqlal Party MP Nouredin Moudian to six months in prison and a fine of 3,000 dirhams, in a case involving defamation against his party colleague Rafia El Mansouri. The ruling follows the leak, in March 2024, of an audio recording attributed to Moudian, in which he reportedly attacked the former MP and vice president of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Regional Council, while threatening to disclose information about her. The court also ordered Moudian to pay 150,000 dirhams in civil damages to El Mansouri, as well as 30,000 dirhams in compensation to her niece, whose name was mentioned in the recording. The public prosecutor had charged Moudian with insulting and slandering a woman on the basis of gender, issuing threats of assault, and disseminating false allegations with the intent to defame. It is worth noting that Moudian had previously suspended his duties as head of the Istiqlal Party's parliamentary group in the House of Representatives following the circulation of the audio recording.
