RABAT, Morocco — A Moroccan journalist has received a prison sentence after bringing allegations of fraud against a notable political figure, a development that has drawn ire from global advocates for press freedom.

Hamid Mahdaoui, who serves as the editor-in-chief for Badil.info, has been sentenced to 1.5 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine equivalent to $150,000 due to defamation charges. This information was communicated by his lawyer, Mohamed Hedach.

The case originated from a complaint filed by Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi after Mahdaoui published a video on his platform in which he accused the minister of engaging in corrupt practices and fraud—accusations that Ouahbi has vehemently denied.

These allegations surfaced following a scandal involving the royalist Party of Authenticity and Modernity, previously led by Ouahbi, which came under scrutiny when a Malian drug dealer, currently in prison, implicated its members in an extensive drug trafficking ring that caused a stir throughout Morocco.

The international backlash against Mahdaoui’s prosecution stems from the fact that it falls under Morocco’s penal code instead of the press code, which governs journalistic activities.

On this issue, Khaled Drareni, representing Reporters Without Borders in North Africa, previously labeled the situation as a “misuse of the justice system intended to intimidate and silence the press.”

Mahdaoui’s legal troubles are not new; he had previously been incarcerated in 2017 for publicly supporting activists protesting social and economic disparities. He received a three-year sentence for failing to inform authorities about a claim made by a Dutch-Moroccan man regarding arms being sent to demonstrators, an assertion Mahdaoui later dismissed as unworthy of serious consideration.

In recent years, Morocco has faced criticism over its imprisonment of journalists and activists who openly challenge the government. In July, King Mohammed VI took action to alleviate some of this pressure by granting pardons to the nation’s three most notable incarcerated journalists: Omar Radi, Taoufik Bouachrine, and Soulaimane Raissouni.

As for Mahdaoui, his attorney Hedach indicated that a decision regarding an appeal against Monday’s ruling has not yet been made.