"Jacques Bouthier's release on bail betrays a certain lack of commitment on the part of the French justice system to the most legitimate rights of victims in France and Morocco", said Aïcha Guellaa, lawyer and president of AMDV, at a conference on the theme "the political and media instrumentalization of victims of sexual assault accentuates their suffering".

The provisional release of the French billionaire and businessman, who was indicted in Paris in 2022, is an "unjust" decision that intolerably aggravates the suffering of the victims, stressed Guellaa, who is assisting the Moroccan plaintiffs in this case.

"It's shocking for the victims, who are supposed to be the first to be protected by justice", said Guellaa, stressing that this case is a "serious test" for the French justice system.

"It's unacceptable that the French justice system should have granted Bouthier provisional freedom, on the grounds of his mental illness, despite all the horrors he has perpetrated (...). "Is it normal that a CEO who, until his arrest, brilliantly ensured the complex and strategic management of a large insurance company, is suddenly taken by dementia? "she wondered.

Guellaa hoped that the French justice system will show the same boldness as its Moroccan counterpart and draw inspiration from the latter's farsightedness in handling this case.

Jacques Bouthier, convicted of rape of minors and human trafficking in Paris, is accused of sexual harassment by six young women in Tangiers.