Moroccan Corruption Crackdown: Politicians and Officials Grounded in Sweeping Investigation

Tough times for many elected officials. A few days before the opening of Parliament, judicial decisions prohibiting more than 10 local authority presidents from leaving the national territory have been handed down due to suspicions of financial and administrative corruption. Even the presentation of a document justifying medical treatment abroad will not have changed anything. Among them are current and former parliamentarians.

A deputy from a party participating in the government was initially allowed to travel to southern Spain, after recovering his passport which had been confiscated by the investigating judge in a case of suspected forgery of a file for the creation of a private school. But he was again deprived of the same passport upon his return from abroad. He appeared again in a case of administrative and financial corruption.

The investigating judges of the three financial crimes courts in the regions of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Fès-Meknès and Marrakech-Safi have closed the borders to "senior officials", including parliamentarians from both chambers, as well as civil servants, technicians and entrepreneurs, Assabah reported. In addition to parliamentarians and local authority presidents, owners of consulting firms, architects and civil servants are subject to the same measure.

They cannot use their passports, as they have been confiscated. An additional measure before the opening of the detailed investigation with them by the investigating judges. An operation that has started for some of them. Afterwards, the others who have resorted to lawyers outside their political parties will appear. These parties have refused to appoint lawyers to assist and support them, due to the sensitivity of the accusations against them and the rise of the official discourse on the moralization of political and parliamentary life.