Former Moroccan Ministers Illegally Occupy State-Owned Housing, Costing Taxpayers

These former ministers and senior officials are illegally occupying government-owned housing, several months after leaving the government or losing their position. This violation of the law by former officials increases the expenses of the ministries, which also have to manage the rental costs of the new government members, reports Assabah.

In a circular, Saâdeddine El Otmani has requested the acceleration of the disposal of these properties to civil servants or employees of certain administrations in order to reduce the management and maintenance costs. The housing reserved for members of the current government and civil servants on mission, as well as the housing located in administrative complexes, are not affected by this operation.

According to the same daily, this operation failed and therefore did not make it possible to replenish the state’s coffers. During the operation, some ministerial sectors immediately sold numerous housing units that were not supposed to be sold.

The objective of the exemption provided for by the aforementioned decree being to preserve the housing necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the administration, the circular blamed the various ministerial sectors for not having collaborated with the state property department, under the Ministry of Economy, to obtain the eviction of illegal occupants of housing that are the subject of a lawsuit.

Pending the resolution of the many legal disputes caused by the procedure for the disposal of these government-owned housing units, the state wants to dispose of this housing to reduce its expenses.