While asking his fellow citizens to tighten their belts in the face of the economic crisis, Mohammed VI did not hesitate to afford a luxurious mansion “at the foot of the Eiffel Tower”. The revelation of this purchase by the press aroused disgust on social networks.
“A stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, with a view of the Champ-de-Mars”, sell the luxury mansion. 2,145 m² on three levels, 229 m² of terraces, a garden. “Inside, ten rooms, an indoor swimming pool, a large games room and a spa”, describes El Confidential. A small ad like this would have something to dream about. It was obviously not published in the press. Because this exceptional property could only be reserved for the happy few: in any case, it caught the eye of the King of Morocco.
According to the Africa Intelligence newsletter, which revealed the transaction in early October, Mohammed VI offered himself this little Parisian gem for at least 80 million euros. Listed for sale more than two years ago by “Khaled ben Sultan Al-Saoud, member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia and former deputy minister of defence”, the house was purchased via a French company belonging to Mohammed VI and directed by its very powerful and very close private secretary, Mounir Majid, continues El Confidential.
“Uninhibited and ostentatious affairs”
The purchase sparked outrage on Moroccan social networks. According to press reports, the transaction was indeed concluded on July 28, on the eve of the throne speech, the most important royal address of the year. “A speech during which [the sovereign] asked Moroccans to unite their efforts to face the pandemic ‘which deeply affects the income of families’. Morocco, like other countries, is going through the most serious economic and social crisis in its history due to Covid-19 ”, underlines the Spanish news site.
Not a word of the affair in the traditional Moroccan press, but on his blog, the independent journalist Salah Elayoubi echoes the deaf anger which is mounting in the country:
The latest revelations from the international press [on this affair] have largely contributed to amplifying the king’s reputation for greed and eroding his capital of sympathy. The uninhibited and ostentatious businesses of the royal family do the rest. Mohammed VI is behaving more and more like a provocative billionaire. They are far from the first moments of the reign when the marketing of the palace invented the legend of the king of the poor. ”
Aston Martin, yacht and private jet
The Moroccan journalist recalls pell-mell the various cases revealed in recent years. The delivery, in 2009, of a King’s Aston Martin by cargo plane to Cranfield, England, for a simple overhaul, the acquisition of a Gulfstream private jet valued at 60 million euros for Crown Prince Moulay Hassan in 2018… “The fortune of the Moroccan royal family is estimated at 6.97 billion euros, of which 4.85 would belong to the king, which would make him the fifth richest monarch in the world, according to various specialised publications ”, writes El Confidential.
The taste for the luxury of the King of Morocco, who spends his holidays with a suite with hundreds of people on yachts, is no longer a secret to Moroccans. However, unlike the protest movements born in Tunisia in 2011 and Algeria in 2019, the protest in Morocco is struggling to be heard.
Salah Elayoubi nevertheless warns against the “acrimony” which is mounting and underlines:
An old Arab proverb recommends that those who are not ashamed of anything do as they see fit. This is where Mohammed VI now finds himself. ”
