Moroccan journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui sentenced to prison, fined 1.5 million dirhams

Moroccan journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui was sentenced on Monday, November 11, by the Rabat Court of First Instance to one and a half years in prison and fined 1.5 million dirhams, according to Badil, the newspaper he heads. The fine is intended as civil compensation to the Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi.

Mahdaoui was prosecuted following a complaint filed by Ouahbi, in his capacity as secretary-general of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), in February.

The complaint was in response to Mahdaoui’s statements suggesting a possible link between the party and the «Sahara Escobar» drug trafficking case. Ouahbi's defense has initially sought financial compensation of 10 million dirhams.

Mahdaoui was accused of «broadcasting and distributing false allegations and facts to defame individuals, slander, and publicly insult».