Public Prosecutor of Tangier Orders Detention of Mayor Mounir Laymouri

The Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Tangier decided on Thursday to place Mounir Laymouri, the city’s mayor and regional leader of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), in pre-trial detention at the local prison, following his appearance before the prosecution after a 72-hour period of police custody.

Details of the Investigation and Arrest

Laymouri was brought before the prosecution on Thursday morning, following the conclusion of the preliminary investigation conducted by the judicial police immediately after his arrest on Monday, September 28, upon his arrival at Ibn Battouta Airport from Spain. Before ordering the detention, the Public Prosecutor had decided on Wednesday to extend the police custody period by an additional 24 hours to deepen the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case.

Background and Alleged Election Irregularities

The legal proceedings are linked to suspicions of irregularities during the electoral process at two polling stations in the Tangier-Assilah district, after an individual was caught in possession of a bag containing ballot papers. In the same context, the prosecution had previously announced the arrest of five individuals, including the chairmen of the two polling stations involved, their deputies, and a fifth person.

The official statement indicated that technical investigations by the competent authorities proved a fundamental difference between the ink used on the seized papers and the ink officially approved for polling stations. These findings constitute the core of the ongoing judicial investigations under the supervision of the competent prosecution.