After 15 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, a Moroccan man receives €2,5 million in compensation

A Spanish court has awarded €2,5 million in compensation to Ahmed Tommouhi, a Moroccan national who spent fifteen years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of rapes he did not commit. This decision marks the culmination of a long legal battle to have his innocence recognized.

Now 75 years old, Ahmed Tommouhi settled in Spain in 1991 hoping to build a new life. Shortly after his arrival, this Moroccan bricklayer was sentenced to 24 years in prison for two rapes and one robbery committed in Catalonia. He has always denied the accusations against him.

After decades of legal proceedings and appeals, he was finally acquitted of the last remaining charge against him last December. During this campaign to prove his innocence, one of the victims notably testified that he was not her attacker.

The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that Ahmed Tommouhi must be compensated to the tune of 2,5 million euros for the harm he suffered. This decision overturns a previous ruling by the National Court, which had refused any compensation despite his acquittal.

On Friday, the man expressed his bitterness to reporters. He stated that the justice system had "ruined" his life and asserted that money could never restore his health or undo the years he lost behind bars. According to him, this miscarriage of justice had cost him a significant part of his existence.

The Supreme Court, however, emphasized that no wrongdoing had been found in the conduct of the initial trial. This case nevertheless reignites the debate on the consequences of miscarriages of justice and on compensation mechanisms for those wrongfully convicted.

For Ahmed Tommouhi, this decision represents an official recognition of the harm suffered, even if it cannot erase the lost decades or the personal, family and professional repercussions of this unjustified conviction.