The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Tangier issued a judgment last week acquitting the named (Mohamed.B), the owner of a well-known Facebook page in the Akzania area, from serious charges that included kidnapping and detention, rape leading to the loss of virginity, theft, and violence against a female.
The Public Prosecution had referred the accused to the court based on complaints filed by two women who claimed they had been raped inside a “shack” in the Akzania area, supported by two witnesses: the first, named (Hamza), stated that he was present at the scene and tried to intervene but was beaten, and the second was the accused’s own brother (Marwan.B), who confirmed in the police report that he was with his brother and that together they attempted to engage in sexual intercourse against the will of the complainants.
However, the court found that the case file was filled with contradictions and fundamental discrepancies that undermined the credibility of the allegations, prompting it to acquit Mohamed of all the charges against him.
Defense
The defense for Mohamed demanded his acquittal from the first moment, asserting that the complainants admitted during the investigation and sessions that the initial agreement for sexual acts for payment was between them and the brother of the accused, named Marwan, and not with the accused himself.
After a dispute arose over the payment or for other reasons, and their inability to reach brother Marwan, they decided to accuse his brother Mohamed, the owner of the “shack.”
The main contradictions highlighted by the defense were the complainants’ claims of being raped, while one of them is engaged in prostitution, and the other is a divorced woman, which contradicts their claims.
Accused
As for the testimony of brother Marwan, which was the most critical in the file, it turned out to be given in the context of sharp family disputes between the two brothers.
In his response before the court, the accused Mohamed confirmed that he was surprised by his arrest and the charges against him, indicating that they are “entirely fabricated” and that the true aim is to take revenge on him due to old disputes with his brother, and that the complainants were used as a tool in this conflict.
