Authorities to take action in misappropriation case of donated goods to quake victims

The Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office has instructed the public prosecutor’s offices in various Moroccan courts to deal with complaints concerning “the misappropriation by certain individuals of consumer products and provisions provided voluntarily as part of solidarity campaigns with the victims of the tragic earthquake that struck certain provinces and regions of the Kingdom”.

The Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office said “the judicial police have been instructed to carry out in-depth investigations” into these denunciations and to “initiate the necessary legal proceedings against any person suspected of involvement, participation or complicity in these acts.”

The Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office has also given instructions to investigate and determine the legal responsibilities of any person presumably involved in the propagation of false news aimed at spreading fear among quake victims and all citizens, and to proceed, on this basis, to establish the legal consequences.

This approach follows the consultation of press articles and information circulated on social media, reporting an alleged misappropriation by certain individuals, of consumer products and provisions, mobilized voluntarily as part of solidarity campaigns in favor of the victims of the tragic earthquake that shook Al Haouz region.

These instructions stem from a deeply rooted commitment to strictly enforce the law against any person presumed to be involved in these criminal acts, which are severely punished by Moroccan law, adding that the aim is also to protect the noble voluntary actions of solidarity towards eligible populations and to punish all criminal acts likely to undermine them.