Said Chaou who escaped from Morocco and was a fugitive since 2010 has finally been arrested in the Netherlands and should be expelled towards the Kingdom. The information was confirmed on Thursday by the Government's spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi, mentioning Nasser Bourita's intervention in front of the Government Council regarding the matter. Said Chaou was arrested on Thursday as part of the step taken by Morocco, when the Kingdom's ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned for consultation regarding the case of Al Hoceima's former MP and godfather of the «18th September Movement for the Rif Independence». The information was confirmed by the Minister in Charge of Relations with the Parliament and the Civil Society and the Government's spokesperson : «Drug trafficker Said Chaou was arrested in the Netherlands and will be extradited towards Morocco», declared Mustapha El Khalfi during the Government Council held in Rabat, reports MAP news agency. «The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Nasser Bourita, informed the Government Council about the arrest of this trafficker in the Netherlands who will be prosecuted for the crimes he has committed», he added. An «important improvement» «The arrest of Mr. Said Chaou by the relevant Dutch authorities today is an important improvement in the handling of this organized crime case which has been ongoing for years», announced today a source from the Foreign Ministry. The last «contact between the two parties (...) particularly during these last few days were fruitful», the same source added insisting that the arrest took place «exclusively based on the international arrest warrant issued by the Moroccan judicial authorities in 2010 and to the extradition order submitted in June 2015» by the Kingdom. He is «accused in Morocco of serious crimes linked to the constitution of a criminal organization, volontary manslaughter, as well as corruption-related crimes and international drug trafficking». This arrest «is not related to the judicial proceedings in the Netherlands, in which Chaou is prosecuted for other crimes and misdemeanors», the source declared. «This arrest foreshadows the Moroccan and Dutch efforts that are made to fight impunity and organized crime within the framework of international law and legal obligations. The positive outcome of the legal proceedings initiated by the Moroccan courts would revitalize cooperation between the judicial authorities of the two countries», the same source said. An arrest following a misunderstanding between Rabat and Amsterdam Said Chaou has been on the run since 2010 and was detained in the Netherlands in June 2015 for constituting a criminal organization, drugs and arms trafficking. After being detained for 182 days, the Rif-native has been provisionally released. Said Chaou is also the spokesman and main sponsor of the «18th September Movement» which calls for the independence of the Rif region that emerged during the early days of the Hirak movement. Speaking to a media platform, Chaou critisized the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Chaou's former political party, as well as the Moroccan government. As a response to Said Chaou's statement, the Moroccan authorities summoned its ambassador for consultation. Morocco has «clearly urged the Dutch authorities that concrete and urgent measures should be performed against this drug trafficker», adding that the Kingdom will announce the date and time of its ambassador's return to the Netherlands based on «the evolution of the case», said the Ministry. The Dutch government, on the other hand, reacted on Sunday 25th of June after Morocco summoned its ambassador in Amsterdam. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice confirmed in a brief joint communiqué that «the Netherlands is committed now and in the future to an effective collaboration with Morocco based on international legal frameworks and the protection of the rule of law». The two departments consider the text issued by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as «incomprehensible and unnecessary».
