Morocco: investigation into massive import fraud

The investigations reported by Hespress show an organized system of falsifying invoices and bank documents. By declaring import values ​​far below the actual market prices, particularly for goods from Asia, the incriminated operators manage to artificially reduce their tax and customs burden.

More than 27 major importers based in Casablanca, Tangier and Agadir are currently in the sights of the "foreign exchange police". The authorities estimate that around 860 million dirhams were paid through hidden circuits, a practice that generates a considerable loss of revenue for the public treasury.

The network relies on an informal compensation mechanism between Morocco and China. Intermediaries provide yuan directly in China to pay suppliers, while Moroccan importers reimburse these amounts in dirhams to Chinese nationals established on the national territory, thus bypassing exchange controls.

Officially, only a portion of the amounts due is transferred through the traditional banking system. Armed with bank certificates based on tampered invoices, importers present these reduced prices at customs counters to pay only a fraction of the normally applicable duties and taxes.

This vast audit operation is based on the systematic cross-checking of data from the Customs Administration and the exchange files domiciled in banks. The authorities’ objective is to verify the compliance of each financial transfer and to sanction the networks accustomed to manipulating transaction values.