Rabat City Budget Blocked Over Governance Issues and Financial Mismanagement

There are many acts of poor governance at the Rabat town hall, led by the PJD, which had nevertheless promised to fight corruption and rent-seeking: inability to coordinate with the competent services for the revision of rents; lack of an inventory of its real estate assets; non-recovery of sums owed in favor of the districts, which are nevertheless in great budgetary need, cites the daily Assabah, adding that neither the Wilaya of Rabat, nor the Interior Department, nor the elected officials have been able to do anything about it.

As proof, denounces the councilor of the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD), Omar El Hayani, in 2019, the mayor Mohamed Sadiki, could not provide him with the inventory of the real estate assets of all the districts of the capital. Even inability to draw up the city’s assets.

The City Council had not been able to resolve the scandal of the villas located in Agdal and rented for 55 dirhams each, adds Omar El Hayani, who does not accept the refusal of the Mayor of Rabat to answer the questions of the FGD, particularly those concerning the undisputed irregularities that his party had noted, claiming lack of time to prepare the list of tenants of the 1,000 shops belonging to the City Council and rented at modest prices, ranging from 250 to 580 dirhams. Some are located in upscale neighborhoods such as the central market located on Boulevard Mohammed V, the Al Irfane campus or the central market of Agdal, specifies the elected official.

Even worse, he adds, these merchants, who make considerable profits, sublet the town hall’s shops to third parties, going as far as selling the goodwill in some cases.

It is surprising that in the era of digital communication, the town hall does not have a website allowing citizens to have information on the administrative procedures related to the City Council, concludes the FGD councilor.