Two Moroccan MPs stripped of their parliament seats following corruption charges

Two Moroccan MPs have lost their parliament seats, according to a decision by the Constitutional Court. The decision was announced on Wednesday, January 3.

The MPs in question are House of Representatives member Said Zaidi from the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), who was also head of the Cherrat commune. The other MP in question is Abdelkader Boussairi from the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), who was vice-president of the Fez commune.

The two were involved in cases related to corruption and the misuse of public fonds. The court has also ordered the holding of by-elections in the local communes of Benslimane and Fez-Sud, where the two parliamentarians were elected, following the vote on September 8, 2021.

In March 2022, a court sentenced Said Zaidi to one year in prison, and a fine of 800,000 dirhams. He was also ordered by the court pay 500,000 dirhams to the civil party, for corruption.

Boussairi is similarly arrested on charges of «embezzling public funds, influence peddling, forgery, in addition to the misdemeanor of not reporting crimes that he knew were occurring». The politician is also suspected of concluding a deal on cars seized by the vehicle pound. On Tuesday, January 2, he appeared before an Appeal Court in Fez.