Moroccan Officials Under Investigation for Corruption and Fraud

According to Barlamane.com, the presidents of communes under the provinces of Médiouna, Berrechid and Nouaceur, in the Casablanca-Settat region, are concerned by these investigations. The services of the Ministry of the Interior have transmitted information on these files to the chamber of financial crimes near the court of appeal of Casablanca for the purposes of investigation, indicate sources close to the file.

These investigations are part of a vast campaign to fight corruption and financial crimes in local authorities, it is specified. The accused are notably accused of illegal granting of tax exemptions, frauds in land transactions and abusive exploitation of public property for private purposes. The commune presidents concerned would have used their position to acquire land at derisory prices, then to allocate it to luxury residential projects thanks to dubious administrative derogations.

The investigations also revealed methods of concealing income and money laundering. The defendants would have created front companies and used financial intermediaries to divert funds and circumvent tax control mechanisms. Thus, significant sums would have been injected into real estate projects in Médiouna, where state-owned land has been sold off. Cases of fraud in public contracts and "favoritism practices in the granting of building permits" have also been noted.

For its part, the Ministry of the Interior has reaffirmed its determination to promote transparency in the management of public affairs. The department of Abdelouafi Laftit specified that disciplinary measures will be taken against the defendants, in addition to "prison sentences, substantial fines and the confiscation of their property" they face in the event of conviction.