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In a statement issued Friday, 12th of October, the Ministry of Justice stressed that Morocco deported in 2015 a Saudi national to Riyadh, responding to international reports linking the case to the Jamal Khashoggi one.
The Ministry confirmed that Morocco arrested on the 11th of November Turki bin Bindar, after Saudi Arabia issued an arrest warrant against him. The Saudi national who was the former head of security to the Saudi royal family was stopped at the Mohammed V airport and was handed to Riyadh on the 16th of November.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Morocco's Minister of Justice Mohammed Aujjar stressed that the Kingdom's «supreme court issued the order for the extradition of Turki bin Bindar and that his arrest also followed strict judiciary procedures».
Disappeared after his Morocco extradition
The minister's statement comes as a response to international reports comparing the case of bin Bindar to the one of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. It is also a way of denying allegations suggesting that Morocco discretely deported the Saudi national on the basis of an extrajudicial request.
According to AFP, French daily Le Monde published an article on Thursday, indicating that Bin bindar's deportation is «an extradition of convenience». In the story entitled «the disappearance of Saudi dissidents», Le Monde claims that after his Morocco deportation, Bin Bindar disappeared.
The newspaper links his alleged disappearance to a conflict he had with the ruling family in Riyadh. It also alleged that bin Bindar was «discreetly arrested in Morocco by local authorities, then transferred to Saudi Arabia», the same source says.
The article said bin Bandar had gotten into a conflict with the Saudi royal family over a land dispute and that he had «posted videos on YouTube calling for reforms».
A similar version of the story was brought up by The Guardian which reported that bin Bindar would have disappeared after his 2015 deportation, quoting his friends.
The Ministry of Justice stressed that Morocco «wishes to recall that all acts of extradition are based on a court decision, in accordance with international procedures and in full compliance with national legislation».
