Moroccan ex-minister facing trial for adultery, contempt of court

A Moroccan former rights minister who has become an outspoken government critic said Wednesday he was facing charges of adultery and contempt of court.

Mohamed Ziane said he will go on trial December 9, more than a year after he accused the kingdom's security services of "faking" a video purporting to show him in a compromising situation with a married woman in a hotel room.

The video caused a scandal online in November 2020, but Ziane accused the head of the police and Morocco's domestic security forces, Abdelatif Hammouchi, of faking the footage.

The interior ministry in January filed a complaint accusing him of "disseminating false accusations and allegations, punishable under the Criminal Code".

The 78-year-old, who is not in detention, told AFP he faces a total of 11 charges including "contempt of public officials and the judiciary", defamation, adultery and sexual harassment.

Ziane was a prominent government lawyer in the early 1990s and human rights minister between 1995 and 1996.

But in recent years he has become a prominent critic of authorities, particularly the security services.