How the arrest of ex-Minister exposes rampant corruption, brings accountability back

The arrest of Former minister, Mohamed Moubdii has emerged as one of the latest cases of corruption that swamp Morocco public institutions and which go on unchecked, against a backdrop of growing disrespect for constitutional institutions and authority, and waning moral values.

Moubdii, who presided the municipal council of Fqih Bensaleh since 1997, saw the noose tighten around him when his name appeared on a list drawn up by the king’s attorney general at the prosecution of the Court of Auditors of elected officials suspected of malpractice in the exercise of their functions. Of the five leaders of municipal councils, his case is the only one to build up to the point of arrest.

This is because the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Public Funds filed a complaint against him early February with the Casablanca Court of Appeal. The complaint cited serious violation of the public procurement code,” which relate to  public contracts in Fkih Ben Salah since 2005, including contracts for the development of urban areas for which millions of dirhams have been spent.

One of the dubious contracts was awarded under a program for liquid sanitation, with a cost  of 800 million dirhams  just for the study contracts.

One of the cases mentioned during the investigation phase is the purchase by Moubdii of a car worth 1.6 million dirhams, which he claims he bought with his own money.

However, several employees prosecuted in connection with this case accused the president of the municipal council of Fkih Ben Salah of having exerted pressure on them in several agreements concluded by the municipality.

The report also noted payments made by the commune for work that was never carried out, artificial overvaluation of the prices of certain services, exaggerated delays in contract execution, and poor quality of work.

“Today, we do not want to be told, after ten years, that the development model has failed to achieve its goals. There must be a real political will to fight corruption and bribery and an integrated and comprehensive national strategy,” Mohamed El Ghalloussi, president of the Moroccan Association for Protection of Public Funds told Hespress. 

He said the decision to pursue Moubdii was made in a challenging economic and social context, marked by high prices and drought, which some viewed as a move to restore confidence in the country’s institutions.

Moubdii will spend his first night at the Oukacha prison in Casablanca by decision of the investigating judge at the Court of Appeal of Casablanca. Eight other people are prosecuted in this case, including engineers, employees, contractors and heads of design offices.