Mohammed Simo appears in court

Mohammed Simo, MP for the Moroccan political party Rassemblement national des indépendants (RNI) and former mayor of the city of Ksar El Kébir (Alcazarquivir), will stand trial from 9 September on charges of alleged embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, illegal awarding of contracts and conflict of interest. 

The investigating judge of the Rabat Court of Appeal decided to prosecute Mohamed Simo, along with eleven other alleged accomplices accused of complicity and participation in the aforementioned crimes, including municipal officials, contractors and local elected officials, and ordered that his case be referred to the criminal division of the same court for a trial to begin on 9 September. 

In January 2024, the court ordered the preventive seizure of Mohammed Simo's assets and accounts after the Rabat Regional Police Brigade responsible for financial and economic crimes detailed the RNI deputy's possessions, in connection with his work as chief administrative officer of Ksar El Kébir between 2015 and 2021. 

The case was opened after local associations in Ksar El Kébir filed complaints with the Rabat Court of Appeal's public prosecutor, who is responsible for financial crimes. These complaints were subsequently transferred to the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ). 

Doubts about the management of the city of Ksar El Kébir during the previous legislative term relate to alleged requests made by Mohammed Simo to specific companies, the purchase of land belonging to a municipal councillor, as well as the contract for a pavilion and subsidies granted to newly created associations, understood as alleged crimes or irregularities, as reported by various media outlets such as Le 360. These alleged irregularities were already highlighted in the report of the Regional Court of Auditors of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima. 

The Rabat Court of Appeal already held a court session on Monday 2 June during the trial of Mohammed Simo, in which the former mayor was visibly affected by the accusations levelled against him, which he considered incomprehensible, such as the alleged embezzlement of public funds worth more than 100,000 Moroccan dirhams (just over 9,500 euros).