Former Moroccan Diplomat Sentenced for $560,000 Rice Aid Embezzlement

The diplomat is being prosecuted for embezzling the sum of 5.6 million dirhams earmarked for the purchase of 550 tons of rice offered in 2016 to the Malagasy people, reports the daily Al Akhbar. He was recalled and replaced by another diplomat, after the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an inspection mission to the embassy and transmitted in 2020 damning reports against him to the Attorney General of the King near the Court of Appeal of Rabat.

Placed under investigation on the basis of these reports, Mohamed Amar rejected these allegations, in turn accusing the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) which, according to him, was in charge of the administrative and financial management of this operation. His role was limited to directing the Agency towards a specialized and reputable company in the region, in the field of nutrition, he explains to the investigators.

The daily mentions factors that exonerate the ambassador, including the letter rogatory requested by the Attorney General of the King near the Court of Appeal of Rabat to the Malagasy judicial authorities. According to this source, the data provided by Mohamed Amar to the BNPJ and the investigating judge correspond to the content of this letter rogatory. The delivery documents for 550 tons of rice worth $600,000 match.

The letter rogatory also contains a discharge letter signed by the ambassador and the executive secretary of the Malagasy disaster management office. However, the investigators discovered questionable transfers of the diplomat’s salaries and allowances to an account in France, as well as transfers made by his personal cook.