20-06-2025
Fez travel agency owner charged with defrauding couple over Hajj visas
The owner of a travel agency in Fez has been referred to the public prosecutor after allegedly defrauding a couple out of 264,000 dirhams intended for two Hajj visas that were never delivered. The court has postponed the hearing to June 23 to give the accused time to appoint a lawyer and review the case file.
The couple filed a complaint with the police, supporting their claim with voice recordings of conversations exchanged via messaging apps, which reportedly confirmed the agreement to arrange their pilgrimage before the suspect disappeared and shut down the agency, according to the newspaper Assabah.
An investigation by the Financial and Economic Crimes Unit of the Fez Security Directorate led to the arrest of the suspect, who admitted to receiving the money in installments via bank transfers to his company's account. He blamed the failure to honor the agreement on a Saudi company, claiming it had not fulfilled its end of the deal.
The accused also stated that he issued six checks totaling 262,000 dirhams to the couple as a financial guarantee while awaiting the outcome of the dispute.
