The suspects who were accused of stealing watches from King Mohammed VI of Morocco have been sentenced to prison by the Rabat Court of Appeal. All were arrested back last December and faced charges of robbery and forming a criminal organisation.
The 15 suspects who were involved in the theft of the luxury watches were handed prison terms ranging from two to 15 years.
The two main defendants were given 15 years in prison as they were accused of stealing 36 luxury watches from Rabat’s Royal Palace. One defendant is a 46-year-old maid while the other is a man.
The first theft goes back to 2013 when the maid sold jewellery belonging to King Mohammed for MAD 50,000 ($5,200 or £3977).
According to the Morocco World News, the maid was said to have melted down the watches where she could sell the raw materials to gold traders. The material was sold in various Moroccan cities including Fez and Casablanca.
The maid later sold the watches intact.
Twelve other people were arrested in connection with the theft of the watches. Of those 12, two were given two years while four received five years in prison. The other six were handed 12 years, 10 years, 8 years and 6 years imprisonment. These suspects told the judge they were not aware where the watches had come from.
King Mohammed, 56, has been on the throne since the death of his father, King Hassan II, on 23 July 1999. His heir apparent is his 16-year-old son, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan.
