Moroccan Tax Official Arrested for $260,000 Embezzlement Scheme

The suspect, aged 57, was arrested at the beginning of last week in Larache, then transferred to Rabat where he was presented on Saturday to the prosecutor’s office at the Court of Financial Crimes. He is accused of embezzling more than 2.6 million dirhams of public funds over seven years, reports Al Akhbar, specifying that his arrest follows the investigation conducted by the National Judicial Investigation Brigade, under the Royal Gendarmerie.

The investigating judge ordered his placement in preventive detention at Tamesna prison. The tax collector is being prosecuted for "embezzlement of public funds, use of forgery, falsification of documents and intrusion into automated data processing systems," informs the daily newspaper. The case came to light after an internal audit carried out by the defendant’s successor at the Had Kourt Tax Collection Office, revealing serious irregularities related particularly to tax revenues, judicial fines, and amounts owed to the Ministry of Justice.

Significant discrepancies between the revenues declared in the accounting documents and the amounts actually deposited at the Tax Collection Office were noted. The audit report was transmitted to the competent prosecutor’s office, which called on the Gendarmerie to apprehend the suspect, who had been missing for two years. Investigations revealed that he was falsifying accounting documents and manipulating computer data to embezzle public funds. The investigation continues to shed full light on this case.