Famous Plastic Surgeon El Hassan Tazi, Wife Allegedly Involved in Healthcare Fraud Scandal

Rabat - Local media outlets have been heavily reporting the alleged involvement of Morocco's famous plastic surgeon El Hassan Tazi in an infamous healthcare scam case. 

On Sunday, April 3, Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) released a statement, in which it announced that eight health workers appeared at the Court of Appeal for a preliminary hearing for their alleged involvement in a case of fraud.

The DGSN’s statement does not mention the names of the suspects, but local media have linked Tazi, workers from his clinics as well as his wife to the scam case.

The suspects, who work at a private clinic in Casablanca, are facing charges of being involved in creating a criminal network aimed at collecting money from benefactors.

The suspects were alleging that the money from donors would be used to pay the hospitalization costs for destitute patients treated in the private clinics.

However, the suspects were fraudulently inflating the bills to extract large amounts of money.

Five of the eight suspects are in custody ahead of trial, while the others have been temporarily released pending the final verdict.

The statement emphasized that the defendants' list include the main suspect.

Le360 reported on Monday that the national judicial police in Casablanca have been investigating Tazi, his wife, as well as other six employees in the clinic for their alleged involvement in healthcare fraud.

Le360 said that Tazi’s wife, Mounia, is among the suspects who the public prosecutor in Casablanca’s Court of Appeal ordered to remain in custody pending the investigation results.

The news outlet suggested that DGSN’s statement refers to Tazi’s wife as the main suspect.

“The press release specifies that she used photos [ of alleged patients] to collect large and justified donations through falsified invoices and false reports and medical check-ups in complicity” with the rest of the suspects.

Le360 also suggested that one of Tazi’s brothers is also involved in the case.

Morocco World News (MWN) contacted Tazi’s clinic for comment. The clinic did not respond to the request at the time the article was written. 

Tazi is one of the most famous plastic surgeons in Morocco. The surgeon is known for his charitable activities, helping destitute people who cannot afford surgery costs.

Tazi is also known for performing surgery on people who have been in accidents and have injuries such as burn scars, among other medical cases.

Source: Morocco World News.