The Casablanca Court of Appeals has sentenced radio host Mohamed Bousfiha, known as “Momo,” to four months in prison for broadcasting a fabricated theft on Hit Radio.
The panel, led by Judge Hicham Bahar, upheld a previous ruling on Monday that convicted Bousfiha of airing a staged robbery.
The court also sentenced co-defendants Amin S. and Mustafa, Amin’s prison term was reduced from five months to four months, while Mustafa, who had already served part of his sentence, was given an additional three-month term. The court ordered both Amin and Mustafa to pay Hit Radio MAD 25,000 in damages.
The public prosecution had argued that Bousfiha and the other defendants were responsible for fabricating the theft and broadcasting it, with the deputy public prosecutor stating that “Momo was the main perpetrator,” and that the false robbery was staged with his involvement.
The prosecutor stressed the severity of the offense, noting that the fake robbery misled a large audience and falsely accused security personnel of ignoring a non-existent complaint.
Bousfiha denied any prior knowledge of the alleged perpetrators, asserting that his programs were intended solely for entertainment and not for sensationalism.
Earlier, the public prosecution at the Ain Sebaa Court of First Instance had charged Bousfiha with broadcasting false information and defaming an organized body, setting his bail at 10 million centimes. Two additional individuals were also charged with fabricating a fictitious crime and defaming an institution.
The case began after a video aired by Hit Radio, in which a caller claimed his phone had been stolen and that the police had failed to respond. Subsequent investigations by Casablanca security services led to the arrest of those involved in creating the false report and spreading misleading information.
