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Morocco Bans Travel for MASEN CEO and Board Members Amid Embezzlement Probe
Saturday 10 April 2021, by
Mustapha Bakkoury, CEO of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), has recently been banned from leaving the national territory for mismanagement and embezzlement. Many of his close collaborators are also, as they would be involved in certain cases. The investigation is ongoing.
After Mustapha Bakkoury, it is the turn of four other members of the Masen board of directors to be banned from leaving the national territory. This ban will only be lifted at the end of the investigation into the governance failures of Masen. The public prosecutor’s office will also begin to examine burning files, including that of the agency, during the month of Ramadan. The files will then be forwarded to the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ).
It all started with the increase in the price of the kWh produced solar energy, which drew the attention of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE). This increase has led to an increase in the cost of electricity in the solar power station. Another element: the delay recorded in the renewable energy strategy in Morocco.
This delay provoked the anger of King Mohammed VI. A press release from the royal cabinet was published a few weeks ago. The sovereign insisted that the major strategic projects in the field of energy and particularly in the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex be carried out within the planned deadlines and under the best conditions.