Moroccan Officials Embroiled in Social Project Scandal

Eight senior officials, elected representatives and civil servants from the Gharb region, have been banned from leaving Moroccan territory by the justice system. This decision, taken by the investigating judge in charge of financial crimes at the Rabat Court of Appeal, is part of a vast investigation into corruption concerning the diversion of a social project in Sidi Kacem.

At the heart of the case is the transformation of a social complex, financed by the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and initially intended for child protection. The project was converted into a private hotel with a bar, built on a one-and-a-half-hectare plot of land. This conversion would have been carried out without the required authorizations and with the help of "forged documents", despite the opposition of a study committee as early as 2018.

The case came to light following a complaint filed by the parliamentarian Abdellah El Hafid. The investigation, conducted by the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ), lasted several weeks and involved the questioning of more than 60 people. The Court of Auditors subsequently added an additional complaint to the file.

The eight officials are now being prosecuted on charges including "misappropriation and squandering of public funds", "unauthorized construction" and "forgery of official documents". Among those implicated are the current president of the provincial council of Sidi Kacem, as well as several former elected representatives and senior officials from the region.