Bank Orderedโข to Compensate Client for โRefusing โขDeposit with โขCertified ID Copy
A Moroccan bank โhas been โordered โฃby the Casablancaโค Commercial Court of Appeal โto โคpay โcompensation โฃto a client โคafter refusing to accept aโ deposit due โto โขthe client presenting a certified copy, โขrather than the โคoriginal, of his national identity card.
The dispute โฃstems from an incident in 2018,when โthe clientโ attemptedโ to depositโค 21,500 dirhams into his own account at a Rabat branch to cover loan payments. Despite offeringโฃ a certified copy of โฃhis ID, โขalong โwith other validโ official identificationโข like aโข passport andโฃ driver’s license, the โคbankโ teller refused the โขtransaction. the client subsequently had the โtransaction successfully completed atโ another โคbranch of the sameโ bank, โฃutilizing the sameโ certified copy.
He than pursued legal action, arguing the bank failed โคto uphold its โขcontractual obligationsโ and the trustโ inherent in the client-bank relationship. The initial โขrulingโ by the Rabat commercial court sided with the client,โ awarding โคhim 9,000 dirhams โin damages.
Theโ bank appealed, citing internal security protocols and regulationsโฃ regarding identity verification. However, the Court ofโ Appeal โrejected these arguments, emphasizing the transaction was aโ simple deposit into โฃanโฃ existing account – posing minimal risk ofโ fraud.
The court specifically referenced Article 440โ of the Code of Obligations andโข Contracts,โค which grants certified copies the same legal weight asโ original documents. Itโ deemed the โteller’s โrefusal as “professional misconduct” โฃand โคa โdemonstration ofโข “abuse in the exercise of law,” constituting a breach of theโ bank’sโข service commitments. โ
Ultimately, the Court of Appeal upheld the original judgment, confirming theโ 9,000 dirham compensationโข and ordering the bank to cover all associated legal costs. This ruling reinforces the principle that banks cannot arbitrarily deny services when presented with legally validโ identification, even inโ certifiedโข copy form.
