Morocco: 300 local elected officials prosecuted for financial crimes, a record under Laftit

In detail, 52 commune presidents, 57 vice-presidents, as well as 69 former presidents and 124 municipal councilors are being prosecuted this year for financial offenses, compared to 43 commune presidents, 49 vice-presidents and 22 former presidents, a total of 137 elected officials in 2024, according to a report from the Ministry of the Interior, transmitted to the members of the Interior Commission of the House of Representatives. "Under the aegis of the Laftit ministry, this action has reached an unprecedented level in terms of the involvement of elected officials," Assabah reports.

These procedures are subject to rigorous monitoring by the Directorate General of Local Authorities (DGCT). The elected officials concerned are exposed to sanctions that may go as far as their removal from the electoral lists. Already 216 requests for dismissal concerning elected officials prosecuted before the administrative courts have been examined by the DGCT. The Ministry of the Interior thus intends to support the governors of prefectures and provinces in the implementation of court decisions relating to the dismissal of members of municipal councils suspected of fraud or financial crimes.

The Moroccan judicial authorities, in coordination with the Judicial Agency of the Kingdom and relying on a recent instruction from the Ministry of the Interior, have ordered the dissolution of eight municipal councils due to mismanagement. "At the same time, 63 members of municipal councils, including 20 presidents, 36 vice-presidents and 7 members sitting on professional chambers, have been dismissed," the daily informs, adding that 50 audit missions have been carried out by the end of September 2025, one of which concerns the financial and accounting operations of the municipalities and two others relate to the audit of programs financed by the World Bank.

Some of these missions have been carried out by the prefectures and provinces and by the regional councils. Mixed commissions, including the General Inspectorate of Territorial Administration and the General Inspectorate of Finance, have examined aspects related to governance, management and the execution of financial and accounting operations, both at the regional and prefecture and province levels.