The Ministry of the Interior revealed that its departments, in coordination with the departments of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the General Directorate of National Security, and the Treasury, organized 7 field monitoring missions at 7 casinos, between April and September 2024, as part of the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
In its 2024 annual report, the Ministry of the Interior highlighted a training session for casino staff aimed at raising awareness about the importance of sharing information with authorities to support financial investigations.
The report, which was submitted to the House of Representatives as part of the discussion of the ministry’s sub-budget, noted that its departments participate in various workshops and forums, both in person and virtually, organized by various international institutions related to combating money laundering, terrorism and its financing, such as the Financial Action Task Force, the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
In fulfilling its international obligations to counter terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and their financing, the Interior Ministry has been actively involved in the National Committee tasked with implementing UN Security Council resolutions on these issues.
The report further emphasized that the ministry ensures compliance with these resolutions by entities under its jurisdiction, such as casinos, gambling establishments, and non-profit organizations.
The same source also highlighted an assessment of the services offered by this sector to gauge its vulnerability to money laundering and terrorist financing. The assessment specifically focused on casinos and gambling establishments, which are jointly regulated by the Ministries of Interior and Finance.
The report also noted that the Interior Ministry played a key role in preparing Morocco’s fifth report for the MENAFATF’s enhanced follow-up. This report, which was discussed and approved at the 38th plenary meeting in Bahrain last April, outlines the recommendations that Morocco needs to strengthen its compliance with.
It stated that GAFIMOAN members unanimously approved the report and raised the technical compliance levels for all its recommendations, noting that “Morocco has successfully aligned its national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework with international standards.”
The same source additionally highlighted that “the relevant national authorities have developed a robust counterterrorism approach based on proactive measures to prevent terrorist threats. This approach is characterized by continuous coordination and strict adherence to human rights and the rule of law.”
The report mentioned that since 2002, security agencies have dismantled over 200 terrorist cells engaged in violent incitement, either active within Morocco or connected to conflict zones worldwide, particularly in the Sahel, Sahara, and Syria-Iraq regions.
In 2023 alone, these operations broke up 5 cells and arrested 17 individuals. By the end of September, an additional four cells had been dismantled and 16 more people had been apprehended. Authorities also thwarted a terrorist network of four individuals, aged 35 to 40, operating in Tangier, Casablanca, Beni Mellal, and Inezgane, who were recruiting and sending fighters to join ISIS’s branch in the Sahel.
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