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The financial crimes chamber at the Fez Court of First Instance has sentenced Abderrafie Zouiten, president of the Spirit of Fez Foundation, to a two-year suspended prison term. The verdict was handed down shortly before the opening of the 29th edition of the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, organized by the foundation and scheduled to run from June 4 to 7, 2026. The festival’s former director, Faouzi Skali, received the same sentence.
The ruling against Abderrafie Zouiten also includes the confiscation of assets in favor of the state, while Faouzi Skali was ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 dirhams. Other defendants in the same case received similar sentences, according to Le360. «The court ordered the confiscation of real estate assets acquired after May 3, 2007, in proportion to the shares held, while lifting seizure measures on assets acquired before that date, unless they are subject to other judicial proceedings,» the source said, adding that bank accounts are also affected.
The case stems from a complaint filed by the treasurer, the secretary-general, and a member of the board of directors of the Spirit of Fez Foundation, alleging management failures involving expenses for the rental of a private jet, as well as administrative and financial irregularities.
Abderrafie Zouiten had previously been sentenced to a one-year suspended prison term and fined 20,000 dirhams. In 2023, the criminal chamber in charge of financial crimes at the Court of Appeal found him guilty in a case involving the management of the same foundation.
