Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security rejected what it called inaccurate claims in a report by Le Figaro alleging delays and poor responsiveness in the investigation into the 2024 disappearance of a French citizen in Rabat, saying the inquiry has followed legal procedures and remains ongoing.
In a statement, the directorate said it had reviewed the newspaper article, which it said included allegations attributed to parties in the case claiming the investigators were slow to act and did not engage with the family’s requests.
The directorate said it was outlining key investigative steps to inform the public, while respecting legal limits on disclosure in an active investigation.
It said police in Rabat received a report on April 13, 2024 that the French citizen had suddenly gone missing from an apartment he was renting.
The judicial police and crime scene technicians carried out initial checks that, it said, did not reveal signs suggesting a criminal motive, citing the absence of forced entry, no indication of theft, and the presence of the missing person’s personal belongings, digital and electronic equipment, and cash.
The statement said forensic specialists, supported by the national laboratory for scientific and technical police, searched and examined both the missing person’s apartment and another apartment linked to an individual last seen with him, using advanced technical tools and collecting genetic samples, but found no evidence supporting a criminal hypothesis.
The directorate said prosecutors assigned the case to the national judicial police brigade in Casablanca, which interviewed people who had met, spoken to, or known the missing person, producing more than 60 interview and questioning records.
It said technical examinations of some of his electronic devices did not identify his location, and investigators traced travel routes to Tetouan and Chefchaouen, interviewing contacts there without finding him.
It said investigators, under prosecutorial supervision, sent dozens of information requests to telecom operators, banks and financial institutions, and customs authorities, and also used international security cooperation channels to track financial transfers, with results that it said produced no new leads.
The directorate said the family was received more than five times and kept informed, and that property was handed over under a legal record by order of prosecutors.
The statement said six teams followed reported sightings relayed through a French liaison officer, including in multiple cities and the High Atlas where a field team worked for more than three weeks, but identified individuals unrelated to the missing person.
It said an urgent notice was circulated to security and Royal Gendarmerie services and checks extended to hospitals and psychiatric clinics, citing information that the person had serious psychological complications.
It added that inquiries, coordinated with General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, found no indications of extremist links, and said the latest legal step in the case was taken on Jan. 20, 2026.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.