Tangier ballot case: Five suspects face judicial investigation after election

Yesterday 12:20

Moroccan prosecutors have referred five suspects for judicial investigation in connection with a case involving a bag containing ballot papers discovered in Tangier following the September 23 legislative elections.

The announcement was made Saturday by the Public Prosecutor at the Tangier Court of Appeal, following preliminary investigations launched after a person was intercepted carrying the bag.

According to the prosecution, the five suspects include the presidents of two polling stations, their two deputies and another individual. Four of them were brought before the prosecution service on Saturday, while the fifth remained in custody pending further proceedings.

Investigation focuses on removal of ballot papers

The preliminary investigation has produced a suspected sequence of events involving ballot papers taken from a polling station and subsequently moved outside the school where voting was taking place, according to the prosecutor's statement.

The individual initially found with the bag allegedly served as deputy president of one of the polling stations. Investigators say he removed a number of ballot papers from inside the polling station with the assistance of its president.

The papers were allegedly placed in a bag and taken outside the school before later being brought back into two polling stations in coordination with the other people under investigation.

These allegations remain subject to judicial examination as the investigation proceeds.

Different ink identified on seized ballots

Investigators also reported a potentially significant detail concerning the seized documents.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the ink found on the ballot papers recovered in the case was different from the type of ink used in the polling stations concerned.

The finding forms part of the evidence being examined by investigators as they seek to establish what happened to the ballots and determine whether other individuals were involved.

Judge of instruction seized

Following the initial findings, the Public Prosecutor decided to refer the case to an investigating judge.

The suspects are to remain in pre-trial detention while the judicial investigation examines allegations involving interference with electoral operations, falsification and complicity.

The decision is intended to allow investigators to establish the full circumstances surrounding the case and identify any other people who may have been involved, regardless of their position or status.

The prosecution has stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and that further legal measures will depend on its findings.

Case follows heightened scrutiny of electoral procedures

The Tangier investigation comes days after Morocco held legislative elections on September 23, 2026. The vote elected members of the House of Representatives, with official procedures placing particular emphasis on monitoring polling, counting and the preparation of electoral records.

Moroccan authorities had activated central and territorial committees to monitor the conduct of the elections ahead of the vote. These structures included representatives of the Interior Ministry and public prosecution services.

The electoral framework also provides candidates' list representatives with rights to monitor voting and counting operations and to obtain copies of official polling-station records.

Judicial process now takes centre stage

With the case transferred to an investigating judge, the focus will now shift from the preliminary police inquiry to a judicial examination of the evidence and the individual roles allegedly played by the suspects.

The prosecution said it would continue to follow the case and submit the necessary legal requests in accordance with the law.

No final judicial determination of guilt has been made against the suspects at this stage.