Morocco / Financial scandal: An MP accused of fraud in Sidi Allal Bahraoui

A financial scandal is currently rocking the commune of Sidi Allal Bahraoui, located in the province of Khemisset, Morocco. Rahhou El Hilaa, a member of parliament from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), along with 24 other individuals, is facing prosecution for their alleged involvement in fraud relating to contracts connected with an infrastructure programme partly financed by the Communal Equipment Fund (FEC).

The trial began recently before the criminal division of the Rabat Court of Appeal, which specialises in financial crime cases, attracting attention in a country already struggling with corruption and an often inefficient administration.

The case was revealed by the newspaper Al Akhbar in its edition of 6 September 2023. According to the newspaper of Morocco, the investigation carried out by the public prosecutor’s office revealed a series of irregularities in the management of the Sidi Allal Bahraoui urban renewal programme, worth 70 million dirhams, 41 million of which came from the FEC. These irregularities include the manipulation of contracts, the absence of a control and audit system, the failure to comply with public tendering procedures, the over-invoicing of works and the falsification of administrative documents.

The MP, Rahhou El Hilaa, is accused of having run a company that benefited from contracts with the municipality in complicity with the former president of the municipality, who is also the subject of legal proceedings. The MP had also held the post of regional secretary general of the PAM, which is part of the current government coalition.

The other individuals being prosecuted in this case include architects, company and design office directors, engineers and municipal officials. They face charges of squandering public funds, abuse of power, falsification of documents and fraud. The trial has been postponed several times due to the absence of some of the defendants from the hearings, but it is expected to continue in the coming weeks. Possible sentences for the defendants range up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Samantha