Moroccan Parliament Rocked by Corruption Scandal: 30 Deputies Face Criminal Charges

From 25, the list of parliamentarians prosecuted in court has grown to 30, reports Assabah, specifying that two have since been acquitted. These elected officials, members of the governing coalition parties as well as the opposition, are accused of various financial crimes in their capacity as mayor.

Some of them would have diverted funds from the municipality to finance their election campaign with a view to their re-election. They are accused of mismanagement in the awarding of public contracts and of having used fraudulent maneuvers to escape the controls during the audits ordered by the Court of Auditors.

To limit these practices, local actors propose the cancellation of the parliamentary mandates of these elected officials. A dozen parliamentarians of the current legislature have already been deprived of their mandate, by decision of the Constitutional Court, recalls the daily.

The high court has also accepted the resignation of two other members of the House of Representatives, and sanctioned an elected member of the House of Councilors, the publication adds, further specifying that some of the prosecuted elected officials have had their assets seized, while others have been prohibited from leaving the territory.