Tangier Mayor Once Again Before the Investigating Judge

Tangier – Thursday, November 5, 2026

The "election papers" case in the city of Tangier has entered a new phase of judicial investigation, following the detailed interrogation session of Mounir Laimouri, president of the city's communal council and regional official of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which lasted for hours yesterday, Wednesday, before the investigating judge at the Tangier Court of Appeal.

The session focused on the details of the case related to the legislative elections held on September 23, in which Laimouri is being prosecuted alongside seven other individuals against the backdrop of suspicions concerning the integrity of the electoral processes.

The Mayor of Tangier faces charges including attempting to alter voting results, complicity in the forgery of an official document, and bribery—charges previously brought against him by the investigating judge, who ordered his pretrial detention starting October 2.

The origins of the case date back to the seizure of a bag containing ballot papers belonging to a polling station at Al-Qods School in the Casabarata district, before investigations expanded to include surveillance camera footage, phone calls, and other technical data in an effort to determine the circumstances under which the ballot papers were removed and the individuals potentially linked to the incident.

The case holds significant political and judicial weight given the electoral and partisan position occupied by Laimouri, and the questions it raises regarding safeguarding the integrity of elections and ensuring respect for the law, independent of any political or partisan considerations.

Investigation sessions are expected to continue next week to complete the hearings for those involved and to discuss the available data, pending the outcome of the judicial proceedings. It is emphasized that the prosecution and pretrial detention do not constitute a conviction, and the presumption of innocence remains in place until a final judicial ruling is issued.