The Moroccan Ministry of Interior has launched an investigation into suspected irregularities in public auctions held by local municipalities to sell confiscated or decommissioned assets, including vehicles, machinery, and furniture classified as “scrap.”
The probe was triggered after alarming reports surfaced regarding questionable starting prices set for these auctions, significantly undervaluing high-value items.
According to well-informed Hespress AR sources, some of the auctions—particularly in the Casablanca-Settat and Marrakech-Safi regions—set unreasonably low opening bids.
For instance, a luxury Range Rover was listed for just 15,000 MAD, while a BMW X5 was offered for a mere 1,500 MAD. Similarly, an excavator with a market value exceeding 270,000 MAD had an opening bid of 40,000 MAD.
Such discrepancies raised suspicions among regional governors, prompting them to withhold approval and demand additional documentation to verify valuation procedures.
Further concerns were raised about the lack of transparency in these municipal sales. Reports indicate that certain municipal councils approved the liquidation of significant assets without providing full details to both majority and opposition council members.
Some auctions were also allegedly tailored to benefit specific businesses and individualslinked to powerful local politicians, with conditions designed to exclude competing bidders.
Additionally, sources revealed that some officials exploited loopholes in public procurement laws by bypassing Morocco’s National Public Procurement Portal, thereby restricting broader participation. Instead, auction notices were discreetly published in low-circulation newspapers, making them inaccessible to the general public.
In response, regional governors have requested the Ministry of Interior to dispatch audit teams to scrutinize the legality of these auctions and ensure compliance with fair market practices. The findings could lead to disciplinary actions or legal proceedings against implicated officials.
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