Judicial Police on Monday referred an athlete and a sports journalist from a private radio channel to the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Casablanca. This follows suspicions of their involvement in a ticket tampering case related to the highly anticipated 2022 Qatar World Cup, sources told Hespress EN.
It is alleged that the suspects, while in Qatar, illegally collected and promoted these tickets on the black market for an exorbitant sum of money.
This follows an investigation by police of incidents related to tampering with dozens of tickets that were intended for free distribution to Moroccan fans.
The investigation, which included collecting testimonies from individuals who obtained these tickets in exchange for money and tracing the paths of their collection and promotion, led to the identification of the two individuals in question.
The suspects are subject to further investigation and prosecution.
The National Brigade of the Judicial Police is continuing its investigation to identify all those involved in this case.
Thousands of Moroccans traveled to Qatar to watch Morocco’s face-off against France and found themselves stranded in 48 hours long queues, with the hope of landing one of the 13,000 free tickets offered by Morocco’s football federation.
Driven by the promise of a free ticket for the already sold-off semi-finals game, fans did not find any left.
Corruption is a serious problem in Morocco, and it affects various sectors of society, including politics, business, and law enforcement. The country has made some efforts to address corruption, such as creating anti-corruption laws and institutions, but these efforts have been criticized for being insufficient and ineffective.
According to the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Morocco ranks 80th out of 180 countries, with a score of 41 out of 100, indicating a moderate level of perceived corruption. The report notes that corruption in Morocco is a widespread problem, and that efforts to combat corruption are hindered by a lack of political will, weak enforcement mechanisms, and limited transparency and accountability.
Some of the most common forms of corruption in Morocco include bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, and abuse of power. These practices can have serious consequences for the country, including hindering economic growth, eroding public trust.