Moroccan prosecutors have arrested two additional suspects in thecase involving the alleged removal and marking of ballot papers during the country’s legislative elections, bringing the number of suspects detained in connection with the case to seven, authorities said Thursday.
The Tangier Court of Appeal’s public prosecutor said the two suspects were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of ballot papers. They were brought before prosecutors after technical examinations were carried out as part of the investigation.
According to the prosecutor’s office, one of the suspects, an accountant at a private company, participated in marking ballots with the symbol of a political party at the request of his employer, the second suspect.
The employer was allegedly present in an apartment at a hotel complex with two other suspects who are already in pretrial detention in connection with the case. The prosecutor said the group had two bags containing ballot papers and that they collectively marked the papers with the symbol of a political party.
Investigators recovered hotel surveillance footage that had allegedly been deliberately deleted, the prosecutor’s office said. The footage showed the second suspect, his accountant and two other suspects who are being held in connection with the case inside the apartment before they all left.
The footage also showed the presence of the person who allegedly removed the ballot papers from a polling station and later returned them, according to prosecutors.
Investigators determined that the two bags seen in the hotel footage were the same bags later seized at two polling stations, the prosecutor’s office said.
The investigation also found that the second suspect was present when the ballot papers were brought to the apartment and marked with the symbol of a political party, according to the statement.
A technical examination of the second suspect’s phone also found several calls made before and on election day with two other suspects already being held in connection with the case, prosecutors said.
Based on the findings, the prosecutor’s office requested a judicial investigation against the two suspects while they remain in pretrial detention. They face allegations including violating electoral operations and participating in forgery, according to the statement.
The prosecutor’s office said it would continue to monitor the investigation and submit any further requests it considers necessary to ensure the law is applied.
The statement was issued by the Tangier Court of Appeal’s public prosecutor on Oct. 1, 2026.
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