The Tangier prosecutor's office has announced the arrest of two additional suspects in connection with a ballot-tampering case that marred the voting process in Tangier. The move comes as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of voting irregularities that have already led to the detention of five people. According to the prosecutor's statement, the two new suspects were brought before the public prosecution after technical examinations were completed.
The two suspects, one of whom works as an accountant at a company, are accused of participating in forgery and violating voting operations. The accountant allegedly marked a political party's symbol on ballot papers at the request of his employer, the second suspect. The marking took place inside an apartment in a hotel unit, where the group had two bags filled with ballot papers. Technical work allowed investigators to recover the hotel's surveillance footage, which had been deliberately erased.
The recovered footage revealed that the second suspect was present when the ballots were brought in and marked. A technical examination of his phone also revealed several calls he made before and on election day to two of the people already held in pretrial detention in the file. On the basis of these findings, the prosecution requested an investigation against the two suspects in pretrial detention. The case has now extended to include the mayor of Tangier, Mounir Laymouri, who was placed in pretrial detention after being arrested at the airport.
Laymouri, who is also the head of the association of Moroccan mayors, was accused by one of the detained suspects during questioning. A national search warrant had been issued against him on September 25, after which he denied fleeing, claiming his trip to Spain was planned in advance. However, he was arrested on Monday at Tangier Ibn Battouta International Airport and placed in police custody. His hearing before the judicial police lasted about ten hours, after which he chose to stay silent.
The case has embarrassed the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which won the September 23 legislative elections. The party's co-leader, Fatima Ezzahra El-Mansouri, has been tapped by the King to head the next government. PAM has responded by calling the matter a "carefully orchestrated scenario." The case has also given ammunition to the Justice and Development Party (PJD), which finished fourth and whose leader, Abdelilah Benkirane, spent the campaign attacking what he called "the corruption" of the PAM.
The Interior Ministry has also opened an administrative investigation into the irregularities in the two polling stations. An inspection commission was sent to Tangier to examine the irregularities. The case recalls a precedent at Safi, where the Constitutional Court annulled the election of Rachid Bougattaya, a PAM deputy elected in a partial vote, after finding a ballot leak that involved a box of about 300 ballots.
The ongoing investigation has raised concerns about the integrity of the voting process in Morocco. The authorities have vowed to ensure a strict application of the law and track the proceedings. The case is expected to continue unfolding in the coming days, with further developments anticipated.
Key points
- Two more suspects detained in Tangier ballot-tampering case.
- Mayor of Tangier placed in pretrial detention over alleged involvement in voting irregularities.
- Case embarrasses Authenticity and Modernity Party, which won recent legislative elections.
