Moroccan Real Estate Plagued by Corruption and ’Black Money’ Practices, Study Finds

Corruption in the real estate and urban planning sector takes various forms, which represents a real danger for its governance. These are the conclusions of a study conducted by the Ministry of Territorial Planning, Urban Planning and Housing.

Between fraud, blackmail, clientelism, transfer of goods and services, the citizen is confronted with a phenomenon that is growing through practices forced by a difficult reality and prejudices that die hard. The study reports an increase in corruption and the practice of black money in the sector, resulting in particular from the complicit silence of the citizen, either through ignorance of the applicable rights or lack of confidence in the legal framework intended to protect him.

The results of the survey conducted by this study, cited by Al Massae, highlight a significant awareness (50% of respondents) of the impact of the campaigns to fight and raise awareness against corruption, however, questioning the weakness of governance and monitoring mechanisms in controlling the scourge.

Furthermore, the glaring absence of a transparent and clear legal framework, intended to be favorable to the fight against this phenomenon, reinforces the citizen’s ignorance of the procedures and his lack of confidence in the state services. Hence the urgency, according to the supervisory ministry, to put in place a work plan in line with the national anti-corruption strategy, allowing access to information, consolidation of governance mechanisms and the conviction of the corrupt by the justice system.