Four Arrested in Connection with Providing Hicham Ghirandu with False Information for Defamatory and Extortion Purposes
The National Police Judiciary Brigade has carried out a simultaneous operation, arresting four individuals suspected of being linked to the criminal network of Hicham Ghirandu, which is active in defamation, slander, and the dissemination of false information that tarnishes the reputation of individuals and institutions.
The suspects are currently under police custody, as directed by the relevant public prosecutor’s office, within the context of a judicial investigation aimed at dismantling the network and identifying all its participants.
According to sources, details from the investigation revealed that the arrested individuals played a direct role in supplying Hicham Ghirandu with baseless claims and data that were used in smear campaigns and acts of retribution against public officials and judicial authorities, driven by personal motives or settling scores.
Statements from the suspects indicated that some fabricated stories from their imagination and passed them directly to Ghirandu, who did not hesitate to publish them without verification. One individual sent a fabricated piece of information about a fictitious hashish smuggling operation in the Moulay Bouselham area, solely to pressure a person who owed him 700 dirhams for a wooden sofa. Another sent false information about a police officer in Ksar al-Kebir with whom he had an old grievance, aiming to take revenge through fabricated professional misconduct allegations.
These incidents raised suspicions regarding the nature of the content disseminated by Hicham Ghirandu, which appears to rely largely on vengeful and unreliable sources, being repurposed into a form of public extortion that directly affects individuals’ private lives and professional reputations.
Investigations are ongoing by the National Brigade, which is working to track down other individuals involved in this network and identify its possible connections to similar extortion and defamation cases. The goal is to put an end to this criminal pattern that exploits digital media to settle personal scores under the guise of freedom of expression.
