Famous Moroccan actor Said Taghmaoui has decided to withdraw from the «Essaouira Darna» association, which cares for children in difficult situations, accusing the organization of fraud. In response, the association has accused him of «exploiting its name for financial gain and confirmed that it will take legal action». International Moroccan actor Said Taghmaoui has announced his withdrawal from the «Essaouira Darna» association, a social protection organization that supports abandoned children and those in difficult situations, citing claims of being «defrauded and scammed». In an Instagram post, Taghmaoui accused the organization's leaders of manipulating and inflating invoices to embezzle donations from benefactors. He shared a document from the association on his account, alleging that it allocated 5,000 dirhams for a single water tap, 270,000 dirhams for laundry machines, and 90,000 dirhams for clothes dryers. Taghmaoui urged benefactors to stop donating to the association, which was established on March 21, 2008, under the National Initiative for Human Development. The association denies allegations In response, the head of the association, Aziz Chaabi Safrioui, denied Taghmaoui's accusations in a statement to Yabladi, calling them «completely false». He added, «Taghmaoui has never donated to the association; instead, he used the association's name for personal financial gain». Safrioui claimed that the association «discovered through social media that Taghmaoui was collecting money in the name of the association's children by selling T-shirts and subscriptions on a personal Instagram page (charging about 20 euros per subscription)». Additionally, Taghmaoui allegedly «profited from the sale of glasses bearing his signature, without transferring any funds to the association». Addressing the figures provided by Taghmaoui, the association clarified in a statement that «the project mentioned is still under technical study, and no money has been spent on it yet. To date, the association has only secured 50 percent of the estimated budget». The association further stated, «We are confident that Mr. Said Taghmaoui is misusing his status as a goodwill ambassador to spread lies on social media, falsely claiming that he funds the children of the foundation. These allegations are purely intended to stir controversy and are entirely untrue». The association urged «past, current, and future donors» to «continue to trust in our transparency». Previously, the association had announced the revocation of Taghmaoui's title as a goodwill ambassador, stating that his actions had negatively impacted the organization's integrity and reputation.
