Morocco Probes Officials in Coastal Luxury Villa Scandal

Deputies and influential personalities soon to be questioned by the justice system? The services of the Ministry of the Interior in Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima have opened an investigation this week into suspicions of their involvement in the construction of luxury villas on lands belonging to the public maritime domain on the coasts of the region. The investigation includes examining the properties, documents, licenses and authorities responsible for authorizing construction, assigning responsibilities and imposing appropriate sanctions within the framework of accountability and transparency.

For several weeks, demolition operations of habitats have been carried out in several cities of the kingdom to free the public maritime domain. The local authorities of the Tétouan district have sent demolition notices to people in violation and illegally occupying the maritime domain, where there are houses and villas whose thresholds touch the beaches, particularly in the villages of Sidi Abdeslam, Azla and Tamarabt. Other coastal areas of the region will not escape the demolition operations.