Tangier Mayor’s Interrogation Adjourned to November in Election Ballot Papers Case
Published By Regional Desk
An investigating judge at the Tangier Court of Appeal has postponed the detailed questioning of Mounir Lemouri, the mayor of Tangier and a provincial official of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), until early November in a case concerning election ballot papers, according to Hespress sources.
Postponement of Interrogation
Lemouri appeared before the court on Tuesday, but the judge did not proceed with the interrogation after accepting a postponement request from his defence. A new date was set for 3 November.
The defence argued that Lemouri’s health condition prevented him from adequately responding to the judge’s questions in a matter that has attracted widespread public attention.
Health Concerns and Legal Charges
Hespress sources said Lemouri’s health had deteriorated in recent days while he remained in pretrial detention, noting his history of high blood pressure.
The investigating judge has charged Lemouri with disrupting voting procedures to alter or attempt to alter an election result, participating in the forgery of an official document, and bribery through an offer, promise or gift intended to secure an act.
According to Hespress sources, the charges were brought under Article 58 of Organic Law No. 27.11 on the House of Representatives, together with Articles 352, 353, 251 and 129 of Morocco’s Criminal Code.
Under Articles 152 and 153 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the judge ordered Lemouri’s placement in pretrial detention.
Investigation Details
Lemouri was placed in pretrial detention on 2 October, following about 72 hours in police custody. He had been arrested at Tangier Ibn Battuta Airport shortly after arriving from the Spanish city of Málaga, acting on a nationwide wanted notice linked to the case.
The investigation originates from election day on 23 September, when a person was found carrying a bag containing ballot papers associated with a polling station at Al Quds School in Tangier’s Casabarata neighbourhood. Investigators examined the origin of the papers and the circumstances of their removal from and return to the polling station.
The inquiry led investigators to a hotel establishment in Tangier, where evidence placed Lemouri alongside several other individuals. Technical examinations recovered deleted surveillance footage and analysed mobile phones, communications and seized items.
According to information from the investigation, the recovered footage and technical analyses linked two bags seen at the hotel establishment to the bags seized in connection with the case. Investigators also identified communications between Lemouri and other suspects before and during election day.
The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings.
