Former executives of Moroccan broadcaster 2M face charges of misusing public funds

The Anti-Corruption Division of the Casablanca Court of Appeals is considering the case against former 2M executives Mustapha Benali and Khadija Boujanoui, along with six others, on suspicion of misusing public funds.

Media reports indicate that the Moroccan Organization for the Protection of Public Funds (OMPDP) has joined the civil suit, requesting the inclusion of certain employees and production companies implicated through non-transparent contracts in the prosecution.

The NGO's action is based on annual inspection reports by the Court of Auditors (Cour des Comptes) dating back to 2007. Yabiladi was unable to reach the general management of 2M for comment.

In a statement, OMPDP president Mohammed Soukrat claims to have «new evidence» and believes pre-trial detention is necessary for the defendants. Citing a Court of Auditors report in a video, he alleges that the former managing director of 2M personally spent «at least 940,000 dirhams from 2003 to 2008, and nearly 18,000,000 dirhams on unjustified travel». He is also accused of «purchasing programs for around 9,000,000 dirhams that were never broadcast».

Created in 1989, Soread 2M (also known as 2M) is currently 76% state-owned. Its advertising agency, Régie 3, remains its «exclusive» partner and is believed to be implicated in many of the issues identified in the Court of Auditors' reports.