Moroccan Expats Outraged as Bank’s Insurance Arm Demands Extra Fees for Repatriation

Maroc Assistance Internationale, a subsidiary of the Banque Populaire Group in France, has provoked the discontent of many MRE families, by demanding additional fees for the repatriation of remains, reports the website Al Oumk.

According to the testimony of a Moroccan family in Italy, Maroc Assistance Internationale would have demanded the payment of 1,000 euros for the repatriation of a woman who died last Thursday, despite the 15-year contract that bound her to the company.

For a relative of the deceased, surprised by the response of the insurance company, "At a time when we are witnessing a great wave of solidarity between the Moroccan people and its institutions, in this time of pandemic, Maroc Assistance Internationale has chosen to shirk its commitments, by violating the clauses of its contract with a former client".

The situation of the Moroccan citizen, whose funeral has been postponed, has sparked an outpouring of outrage among members of the Moroccan community in northern Italy, who have threatened to withdraw all their funds deposited with the Banque Populaire group.