Morocco: Those elected officials who plunder public subsidies

Fraud, embezzlement and conflicts of interest... This is what emerges from the audit reports conducted by magistrates from the Regional Accounting Courts of the Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Béni Mellal-Khénifra regions on the subsidies and public aid intended for associations. It was discovered that association presidents have been used "as a mere facade" to carry out municipal projects financed by public funds, in flagrant violation of the rules of probity and the prevention of conflicts of interest, according to sources at Hespress. The magistrates also noted that some association officials diverted public financial support from its initial objectives to allocate it to personal uses, even though the donor entities did not ensure any rigorous accounting follow-up, reveal the same sources.

According to the audit reports, some municipal presidents create and finance parallel associations. Some of them are placed under their direct authority. Others are led by close associates. These associations are responsible for implementing development projects financed from the municipal budget or by public aid, such as the development of rural tracks or the implementation of income-generating projects. Some of these associations even collaborate with private companies owned by the president himself or linked to him by direct interests.

These cases are sufficient to activate the provisions of the law on municipal organization. The magistrates also mentioned the case of associations active in the social and educational fields. While these have received public funding to implement specific programs or carry out activities, they have not complied with the obligation to allocate the funds to the objectives for which they were granted. Public funds are indeed used for personal purposes or for actions not provided for in the agreements, or for operations not supported by documentary evidence.

Some associations have been transformed into veritable electoral "reserves", mobilized to attract votes and reap political gains, in return for financial and logistical support granted outside the regulatory and administrative procedures, the audit reports also reveal.