Former Wydad president Said Naciri sentenced in Sahara Escobar case
The Criminal Chamber of the Casablanca Court of Appeal has delivered its verdict in the widely followed Sahara Escobar case, sentencing former Wydad Athletic Club president and former senior member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Said Naciri, to 10 years in prison.
The court also handed a 12-year prison sentence to Abdenbi Bioui, former president of the Oriental Region, making them the most prominent figures convicted in one of Morocco’s highest-profile criminal proceedings.
The ruling was issued on June 25 following months of hearings that attracted significant public attention due to the political, sports, and business figures implicated in the investigation.
The final hearing took place without the participation of defense lawyers. Their absence followed a strike called by the Casablanca Bar Association in protest against a proposed law governing the legal profession.
During his closing statement, Naciri rejected all accusations against him. He denied any involvement in international drug trafficking networks and disputed allegations linking him to the Malian trafficker referred to in court documents as “The Malian.”
Naciri presented financial records, including bank statements and documents related to the acquisition of his villa in Casablanca’s California district. He argued that the records demonstrated the legitimate origin of his assets and requested a full acquittal.
Bioui also asked the court to acquit him but did not submit additional evidence during the final hearing. Several other defendants chose not to make further statements and relied on testimony previously provided during the investigation and trial.
The Sahara Escobar case has been among Morocco’s most significant criminal investigations since late 2023. Investigating judges ordered the pretrial detention of Naciri and Bioui on December 21, 2023, over suspected links to an international drug trafficking network.
The investigation was launched following statements made by Malian drug trafficker El Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim. His testimony implicated several individuals from Morocco’s political, sports, and business spheres, drawing widespread national attention.
Prosecutors charged Naciri with multiple offenses, including forgery and use of forged official documents, participation in a criminal conspiracy related to narcotics trafficking, fraud and attempted fraud, influence peddling, coercion aimed at obtaining false statements, concealment of criminal proceeds, forgery and use of forged checks, and participation in the undeclared importation of foreign currency.
Bioui faced charges that included participation in international drug trafficking, forgery of official documents, obtaining documents through coercion, involvement in arbitrary acts affecting individual freedoms, facilitating illegal cross-border movements within a criminal organization, and participation in an international drug trafficking conspiracy.
