People stand outside a court during a trial for suspects charged with killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. AP
People stand outside a court during a trial for suspects charged with killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. AP
People stand outside a court during a trial for suspects charged with killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. AP
People stand outside a court during a trial for suspects charged with killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. AP

Morocco: Mother of beheaded hiker calls for death penalty at trial

The trial of the suspected killers of two young Scandinavian women last year is nearing an end

AFP

July 11, 2019

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  • Arabic

As the trial of the suspected killers of two young Scandinavian hikers in Morocco last year nears its end, the mother of the Danish student beheaded along with her friend called for the accused to face the death penalty.

"The most just thing would be to give these beasts the death penalty they deserve; I ask that of you," said Helle Petersen in a letter read by her lawyer in an anti-terrorist court in Sale, near the capital Rabat.

“My life was destroyed the moment that two policemen came to my door on December 17 to announce my daughter’s death,” the mother of 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen wrote in the letter, read out in total silence and with the defendants’ faces impassive.

Journalists flocked to the court on Thursday where the trial of the 24 suspects reopened, in a case that has shocked the North African country.

Prosecutors have already called for the death penalty for the three main suspects behind the murder of the women in the High Atlas mountains.

The maximum sentence was sought for the suspected ringleader Abdessamad Ejjoud, 25, and two radicalised Moroccans, although the country has had a de facto freeze on executions since 1993. Petitions on social media have also called for their execution.

The three admitted to killing Jespersen and Norwegian Maren Ueland, 28, whose family declined to attend the trial.

Prosecution lawyers called for jail terms of between 15 years and life for the 21 other defendants on trial since May 2.

The life sentence was sought for Abderrahim Khayali, a 33-year-old plumber who accompanied the three alleged assailants but left the scene before the murders.

The prosecution called for 20 years in jail for Kevin Zoller Guervos, a Spanish-Swiss convert to Islam. The only non-Moroccan in the group, Guervos is accused of having taught the main suspects how to use weapons and an encrypted messaging service.

Coming from modest backgrounds, with a "very low" level of education, the defendants lived in low-income areas of Marrakesh.

Jespersen's lawyers accused the Moroccan authorities of having failed to monitor the activities of some of the suspects before they slit the throats of the women as they camped in the isolated mountain region.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Healthy tips to remember

Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:

Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast

Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits

Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day

Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet

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