Rabat : RNI deputy loses mandate over bad checks

Abderrahim Ouaslam of the RNI has been stripped of his mandate as deputy of the Rabat-Océan constituency due to writing bad checks. This decision was made by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, July 2. It follows the former parliamentarian's conviction to eight months of suspended prison, along with a fine of 100,000 dirhams, pronounced by the Criminal Chamber near the Court of Appeal of Rabat.

Following this decision, the Ministry of the Interior will have to organize a partial legislative election in the Rabat-Océan constituency in the coming months.

Parliamentarians stripped of their mandates by the Constitutional Court are from both the governmental majority and the opposition. Some former elected officials are imprisoned for mismanagement of public funds or drug trafficking.

On January 17, King Mohammed VI called for «the adoption of a code of ethics that is legally binding for both Chambers of the legislative institution». This charter should be an improvement over the 2018 version, which was also approved following a royal appeal in October 2017.