The Rabat Court of Cassation (Morocco) has issued a final ruling rejecting the last appeal by the Alhambra SARL company and confirming the nullity of the contract signed with the Archdiocese of Tangier for the construction and operation of the so-called Alhambra School on land belonging to the Catholic Church. Dated February 17, this decision closes, in the civil sphere, a prolonged and high-profile public legal dispute.
A conflict that escalated from 2022
The so-called “Alhambra case” originated in June 2022, when the Archdiocese and the promoting company, made up of the González Ceballos business family, signed a commitment to lease land adjacent to the Tangier Cathedral with the aim of building a private school that—according to the company—was going to combine education in Spanish, French, Arabic, and English. After months of bureaucratic processing, authorizations, and construction, the opening was blocked by deep legal discrepancies between the parties.
Serious accusations and ecclesiastical defense
In August 2024, the company filed a criminal complaint against Archbishop Emilio Rocha Grande for alleged “fraud, scam, and extortion,” claiming that, despite having invested resources and obtained authorizations, the archdiocese refused to allow the school to open and demanded conditions that the promoter considered abusive.
Read also: Why have they denounced the Archbishop of Tangier, Emilio Rocha, for fraud and scam?
The following day, the archdiocese itself issued a statement categorically rejecting such imputations, describing them as deplorable and unfounded, and announcing that it had filed a lawsuit before Moroccan justice to declare the contract null and void due to serious formal and substantive defects.
Conflicting rulings and appeals
In 2025, a first-instance civil court issued a ruling obliging the archdiocese to formalize the contract and imposing compensation for damages and harm, which generated concern within the Catholic community by leaving the Archdiocese exposed to a significant economic burden.
The Archdiocese appealed immediately, arguing that the contract was flawed from its origin due to irregularities in representation and lack of compliance with the legal requirements applicable to ecclesiastical assets. In June 2025, the Tangier Court of Appeal annulled the contract, validating the thesis that it lacked a solid legal basis.
Definitive victory and legal reading
Now with the ruling from the Court of Cassation, the Archdiocese’s position is definitively ratified. The higher court has recognized the validity of the judicial action taken by the Church to safeguard legality in the management of its assets and has dismissed the company’s arguments, thereby closing the civil avenue of the litigation.
This resolution not only invalidates the contract at the center of the controversy but also reaffirms the Archdiocese of Tangier’s authority to protect its patrimonial rights against legally defective agreements. The defense of the integrity of ecclesiastical assets constitutes an obligation that cannot be neglected when there are well-founded doubts about the validity of the acts entered into.
Concrete consequences
The Alhambra School educational center never opened its doors and remains closed since before the start of the 2024-2025 school year, frustrating the expectations of families who had enrolled more than 250 students and generating considerable social and economic impact in Tangier.