The Casablanca Court of Appeals has rescheduled the trial for the suspects in the Qatar World Cup ticket scandal, Mohamed El Haidaoui, president of Olympique de Safi (OCS), and Adil El Omar, a Radio Mars journalist.
Both were granted an extension by the court to prepare their defense. The new trial date is set for August 11.
The decision regarding the temporary release request for parliamentarian Mohamed El Haidaoui is pending, whereas a similar plea had been previously denied.
On July 26, the Prosecutor General near the Casablanca Court of Appeals decided to keep OCS’s president in custody, but journalist Adil El Omari was allowed provisional release.
The charges against the two differ: Mohamed El Haidaoui faces “fraud” accusations, while Adil El Omari is suspected of “participation.” Initially, the prosecutor handed the case to the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) on May 9 for further investigation before starting legal proceedings.
The BNPJ investigators questioned individuals who illicitly acquired tickets for money, identified the channels of distribution and promotion for these tickets, and traced their sources of possession and sales on the black market. These investigations confirmed suspicions about the involvement of the two now facing legal action, as stated in a DGSN statement.
The BNPJ initiated the investigation based on directions from the public ministry to uncover the illicit sale of around a hundred tickets for the national team’s matches during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. These tickets were meant to be freely distributed to Moroccan supporters.
As part of the inquiry, Mohamed El Haidaoui was questioned several times by BNPJ investigators in December, while Radio Mars journalist Adil El Omari was summoned thrice to provide statements.
Recently, an audio recording surfaced implicating Mohamed El Haidaoui, a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI) party, in the alleged sale of World Cup tickets, leading the RNI to refer Mohamed El Haidaoui to a disciplinary committee.
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