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2010-01-20

Moroccan MPs must declare assets by May

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 20/01/10

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Members of Morocco's Parliament must declare their assets by May 2010, as the government implements a law passed in 2008 to govern the conduct of elected officials.

Parliamentarians will have to declare assets including movable and immovable property, bank deposits, financial assets and vehicles. They are also legally required to renew their declarations every three years.

A source from Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi's office told Magharebia on January 14th that documents explaining the minimum declaration threshold for MPs have yet to be released to the public. The prime minister is still waiting for decrees from the department to modernise the public sector, as well as from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

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Members of Parliament took issue with how long the measure took to implement, and also questioned how effective the law will be.

Lawyer and MP Fatima Moustaghfir last week told Magharebia that the law should have been implemented as soon as it was passed. She attributed the delay to procedural errors.

But Moustaghfir is concerned that the law does not do enough to stem potential abuse by MPs.

"Without a doubt, the law is an important one," she said. "But MPs are not council chairmen with a budget to manage." She said MPs could circumvent the law by diverting assets to members of their family, among other ways.

"The law is not enough, and needs to be accompanied by the introduction of measures regarding education and public awareness," she added.

The law is the first of its kind in Morocco, according to economist Mohamed Jebbour. He believes it will lead to a long-awaited improvement of standards in public life.

"For example, corrupt high-ranking public officials who misappropriate funds or use their position to give illegal advantage will be obliged to share their assets," he said. But he emphasised that the government must remain vigilant about stop-gapping loopholes.

"Family members of high-ranking officials are not covered [by the law]. The law only applies to the wife and under-age children," said the economist.

MP Lahcen Daoudi, who openly supported the bill as it was debated in 2007, now casts doubt over how effective it will be.

"A great many laws are enacted without them being enforced in any real way," he told Magharebia last week in Rabat. "The law on the declaration of assets is of vital importance, provided that declarations are genuine, and effective checks and balances are implemented."

A source from the Ministry for Public Sector Modernisation reassured Magharebia that the newly passed legislation would lead to "the correct application of the law and checking procedures".

"Indeed, if the provisions of the law are not respected, the Court of Accounts will issue a warning to the offender, who will have a maximum of two months in which to rectify the matter," the source explained.

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    mourad 2010-8-1

    Everything reported on comes from corruption.

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    bensaidms 2010-3-12

    Morocco is undeniably on the move. Our young, dynamic king has been granted a futuristic vision, which he has slowly but surely injected in the hearts of the big countries. In order to meet the challenges of rule of law, all of our leaders must lead Morocco in good faith. Any law controlling leaders’ wealth will be but beneficial to our kingdom. The Moroccan people need to take advantage of this new direction in controlling wealth, as its noble aim is that of equitably dividing the country’s wealth. We believe in a better Morocco.

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    BEN 2010-1-23

    This is a law without power because it is but written. It is easy to circumvent it because some parliamentarians theoretically marry via civil unions in spite of the shariah. As such, we need an army of civil servants to follow up on an analysis and control these marriage declarations. On the other hand, the tax could easily be implicated, but how much is "boulitik"?

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    Acharif Moulay Abdellah BOUSKRAOUI 2010-1-21

    The Moroccan people have had enough of seeing corrupt people and thieves seated in respectable places like in the government or Parliament. As such, the king and the people are always for a new Morocco, a Morocco of clarity and insight. As the king pointed out, this must be clear whether you are Moroccan or not. Those who steal and impoverish the people are not and never will be Moroccans. Personally, for me, my message to the government and to the members of Parliament is clear. My message is that the seats of authorities are for honest people and our prisons are welcoming for those corrupt leaders, whatever their rank. Our courts have zero tolerance for those corrupt people who abuse their power. To put my message more simply: Those who want to serve Morocco are welcome, and those who want to steal the goods of the people, are welcome, but not a seat in government or Parliament. They are welcome to our prisons, where there are places reserved for the thieves of the goods of this great nation. As I have said before and will say once and for all: Morocco is a strong, independent and sovereign state. We are above any pressures. If we have chosen the path of democracy, then it is by our own will and for the happiness of all Moroccans. The people have great confidence in the royal decisions. His Majesty Mohamed VI is working for strong, independent courts in order to make Morocco a strong and sovereign state, a state of democracy and constitutional institutions.

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    Anonymous 2010-1-20

    In order to be credible, this law should be accompanied by measures to ensure its implementation. This includes transparency and the freedom of the press, which should investigate and publish without threat of retaliation. Such is not the current situation in Morocco. This must be remedied as quickly as possible. Moreover, the law must apply to everyone who exercises power, including ministers, the head of Parliament and—why not?—the head of state? In an honest country, where no one has anything to hide, this should not bother anyone.

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    Moroccan Patriot 2010-1-20

    The Law is a step in the right direction. However, the law must also have teeth. I propose a whistle blower reward system. Morocco is a country full of Bergaga. These informants could be paid 20% to 50% of whatever assets they discover Parliment members are illegally withholding. For example, A Judge who asks for a bribe of 500,000 DH to let the son of a very rich drug baron out of jail on a drunk driving case would not only lose their job and face jail time themselves, but the Bergaga (informant) who is able to provide this valuable information to a confidential hotline would recieve 100,000 DH as a reward. The remainder of the forfeited assets would go to a charity. Moroccans are constantly watching each other. It is time to put the Bergag apparatus to a positive use, lets reward Bergags who turn in corrupt officials. If a Bergag sees a police officer taking a 100 dh bribe from a motorist, then the Bergag should get a 10,000 DH reward if they are able to provide video documentation. The Police officer should lose his job and the citizen pay a 20,000 DH penalty in lieu of jail time. Money talks. We can play with the numbers, but the point is that fear of being caught would be real if there was a reward system. In fact, the watch dogs themselves could be paid on a commission basis, so that it would be in their interests to uncover illicit behaviour.

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