Morocco: The Inspectorate of Finance tracks the luxury trips of senior civil servants

The investigators are closely examining the "mission orders" and travel logs. Reports indicate that these missions have been diverted to serve as political or administrative favors in the hands of certain decision-makers, reports Hespress. The controls focus on the actual relevance of the trips, the class of air travel, the level of accommodation as well as the duration of the stays, often considered unjustified in relation to the real needs of the institutions.

Faced with this offensive, a wind of panic is blowing in certain services: several senior officials are trying to urgently reorganize their archives to bring their files into compliance. The accounting audit systematically compares the invoices presented with the market reference prices and the contracts concluded with the service providers. Even more seriously, the inspectors suspect the payment of allowances for "fictitious" or incomplete missions, nevertheless duly validated in the official registers.

This operation takes place in a context of increased surveillance of public finances. The average salary in the Moroccan civil service remains one of the highest in the region, representing more than three times the GDP per capita. By cross-checking internal control reports and the minutes of the authorizing officers, the IGF intends to put an end to irregularities and sustainably clean up the management of mission expenses within the State.