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Marrakech – The Rabat Court of Appeal confirmed the first instance judgment against journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui on Monday, sentencing him to 18 months in prison and ordering him to pay a civil fine of MAD 1.5 million ($150,000) to Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi.
El Mahdaoui, director of the Badil news site, faced charges of “disseminating false accusations and facts with defamatory intent, public insult, and slander,” according to articles 443, 444, and 447 of the Moroccan Penal Code.
The case has ignited a firestorm of controversy across media outlets and human rights circles alike. Minister Ouahbi filed five separate complaints against El Mahdaoui with the approval of Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch. This judgment addresses one of these complaints.
During the June 16 hearing, the public prosecutor requested strict application of the penal code, insisting there was clear criminal intent in the journalist’s statements against Ouahbi.
The prosecution cited El Mahdaoui’s comments regarding a luxury car allegedly gifted by Hind El Achchabi, former head of Dalia Development Group, to Ouahbi when he served as her lawyer, suggesting potential tax fraud.
Additionally, El Mahdaoui’s reference to a MAD 45 million ($4.5 million) legal case between Wana and Maroc Telecom companies, in which Ouahbi acted as counsel, was also mentioned as evidence of defamation and slander.
Ouahbi’s lawyers, representing the civil party, supported the prosecution’s position and once again demanded MAD 10 million ($1 million) in damages, the same amount requested in the first instance trial. The court ultimately maintained the lower court’s award of MAD 1.5 million ($150,000).
According to El Mahdaoui’s defense team, this trial is part of a “systematic harassment” campaign targeting the journalist for over a year.
They claim that beyond Ouahbi’s five successive complaints, the renewal of El Mahdaoui’s professional press card was denied, which his supporters denounce as “an obvious attempt to pressure him” into abandoning his critical editorial stance.
Many observers contend that the case raises profound questions about press freedom, the use of criminal law to silence criticism, and the complex relationship between political power and journalists in Morocco.
