Morocco pop star jailed for 8 months in blackmail scandal

Moroccan pop star Dounia Batma was jailed for eight months on charges of blackmail, the New Arab reported.

Batma’s sister Ibtissam was also slapped with a 12-month sentence, alongside “self-styled fashion designer” Aicha Ayach, who received a 18-month sentence for her role.

The “Hamza mon bb case” (named after the incriminating Snapchat and Instagram accounts), has dominated the headlines and gripped the nation since 2018, and involved the Batma sisters and accomplice Ayach published indecent images, videos and other content on social platforms Instagram and Snapchat in order to blackmail and damage celebrities.

After hours of deliberation, Batma and her sister were found guilty of fraudulently obtaining personal information, private pictures and correspondence and posting them online without consent of the owners.

READ: Moroccan women break through in rap scene dominated by men

The Arab Idol star and her sister were also found guilty of sharing personal information with the malicious intention to undermine privacy and reputation of the victims.

Initially, the girls were charged with fraud, but these charges were later drop.

The Arab Idol runner-up and her sister were first detained in December 2019, but were later released on bail and had their passports confiscated for fears they would flee the country to avoid justice.

Three other defendants in the case were sentenced in February to two years in prison and ordered to pay fines of $1,070 each.