Mohammed Saad Berrada, Morocco’s Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, resigned from his positions as a board member of PHARMAPROM and BIP PARTNERS on October 23, 2024, the same day he was appointed to the cabinet in the reshuffled Akhannouch government.
The documents, obtained by Hespress AR and officially registered with public authorities in Casablanca on October 24, 2024, show that Berrada notified both boards of his resignation “without delay” and requested that the necessary procedures be taken to formally accept the resignation.
A source close to the minister told Hespress AR that Berrada “resigned from all companies involved in the recent controversy on October 23, 2024,” and confirmed that the resignations were formally documented with the authorities on October 24. The source questioned “the motives behind this orchestrated campaign against the minister, which misuses legal arguments to mislead the public and spread inaccurate information.”
The controversy arose in recent days in the media and on social networks regarding Berrada’s previous management positions in private companies, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, and whether these positions violated Article 33 of Morocco’s Organic Law on Government Operations.
Some reports linked Berrada to contracts for the purchase of medicines handled by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, now led by his former colleague Amin Tehrawi since late October 2024.
The documents obtained by Hespress AR reinforce the view that Berrada “is legally compliant” and that the controversy represents a “targeted campaign,” given that his resignations were submitted on the same day he officially took office as minister.
Article 33 of the Organic Law on Government Operations requires that “members of government must refrain, for the duration of their mandate, from engaging in any professional or commercial activity in the private sector, especially participation in management or administrative boards of profit-oriented private entities, and, more generally, any activity that may lead to a conflict of interest, except for activities limited to capital investment in shares and management of transferable securities.”
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