Tangier mayor denies leaving Morocco to avoid electoral investigation

Sunday 27 September 2026 - 15:30

Tangier Mayor Mounir Limouri has rejected reports suggesting that his departure for Spain was linked to the judicial investigation into suspected electoral irregularities during Morocco’s September 23 legislative elections.

Limouri, who also serves as the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) provincial official in Tanger-Assilah, said his trip was connected to his professional activities and that he intends to return to Tangier to respond to any questions from the authorities.

The statement comes as the investigation into suspicious ballots found at a polling station in Tangier has expanded, with five people now in custody and the public prosecutor’s office seeking a formal judicial investigation.

Limouri rejects allegations surrounding his trip

According to statements attributed to Limouri, his visit to Spain was planned for meetings with business partners and clients as part of his professional activities.

He has denied leaving Morocco in order to avoid judicial proceedings and said he had not been subject to a travel restriction or judicial summons at the time of his departure.

Limouri has also indicated that he would return to Tangier and appear before the judicial authorities if required.

His departure had attracted considerable attention after reports circulated that a search notice had been issued against him in connection with the electoral investigation. However, reporting on the alleged measure has not established a publicly confirmed judicial order detailing its legal basis.

Investigation expands after ballots are seized

The judicial case originated on election day, when authorities arrested an individual inside a school housing a polling station in Tangier after finding him in possession of a bag containing voting papers.

The polling station involved was located at Al Qods School in the Casabarata area. The prosecutor at Tangier’s Court of First Instance ordered an investigation to establish the circumstances and determine the appropriate legal consequences.

The case subsequently moved into a broader phase. In a statement issued on September 26, the public prosecutor at the Tangier Court of Appeal said five suspects had been placed in custody.

They include the presidents of two polling stations, their two deputies and another individual. Four of the suspects were presented to the public prosecutor, while the investigation involving the fifth person was still continuing at the time of the statement.

Prosecutors describe alleged movement of ballots

According to the preliminary findings released by the prosecution, the individual initially arrested with the bag was a deputy head of a polling station.

The investigation alleges that he removed a number of ballots from inside the polling station with the assistance of the station’s president. The ballots were reportedly placed in a bag, taken outside the school and subsequently returned to the two polling stations in coordination with other individuals.

Investigators also found that the type of ink used on the seized ballots differed from the ink used at the polling stations concerned, according to the prosecutor’s statement.

These findings remain part of an ongoing judicial process. The prosecution has referred the matter to an investigating judge and requested the opening of a formal investigation, with the suspects facing allegations concerning interference with electoral operations, falsification and complicity.

Separate inquiry follows ballot-box video

The Tangier case also includes a separate investigation prompted by a video circulated on social media.

The footage appeared to show a transparent ballot box containing several white envelopes. The public prosecutor at the Tangier Court of Appeal ordered an investigation to establish the authenticity and circumstances of the images and determine whether any legal violations had occurred.

The video quickly became part of the wider political dispute surrounding events at the Al Qods polling station. The PAM has rejected allegations linking the party to electoral wrongdoing and has described some of the material circulating online as an attempt to damage its reputation.

Authorities seek to establish the full chain of events

The prosecution has stressed that the investigation is intended to identify all individuals who may have been involved, regardless of their status or position.

The decision to refer the case to an investigating judge marks a further stage in the judicial process. It also means that the allegations against those under investigation will now be examined through formal judicial proceedings rather than solely through preliminary police inquiries.

The case has attracted significant political attention because it concerns the integrity of electoral operations in Tanger-Assilah during the September 23 legislative elections.

For now, the central questions concern the origin of the ballots, how they were removed and allegedly reintroduced, who else may have been involved and whether the separate video corresponds to an electoral violation.

Limouri’s denial adds another dimension to the case, but his own legal position will ultimately depend on the findings of the judicial investigation and any subsequent proceedings.